Behind Green Eyes
by EvilAngelBB
Summary: Harry's up for his 7th year and things are going to be a bit different. As he goes through changes, he gains some new allies, loses false friendships, and learns love for what it really is. Not really HBP compliant...but goes with it a little bit
1. The Journal

**Behind Green Eyes**

Disclaimer: I don't own H.P. nor any characters. If I did, the story line would probably be a little different, so yeah. I'm not making any money off of this story nor do I plan to try.

Chapter One: The Journal

"Concentrate boy! If you're to have any chance in hell against the Dark Lord, you have to master this."

"You think I don't know that?! You think I'm enduring these hellish lessons for fun? I know what's expected of me. I know what I have to do."

"Then do it right. Or are you not so perfect after all? Poor little Potter, with his perfect life, loving muggle family, worshipping teachers, screaming fans. What would they say if they saw you now, failing at something?"

"What would you know?" Harry's nerves had been pushed to their limits during the grueling Occlumency lesson with Snape. The taunting his potions master bestowed upon him broke what tenuous control he had on his emotions. "What would you know about me? I didn't ask to have my parents killed! I didn't ask to be given special treatment. I didn't ask for hordes of followers worshipping the ground I walk on. I _didn't_ ask for a teacher with a grudge and a ten foot pole up his arse to give me laughable lessons in something I mastered awhile ago. And I did _not_ ask for an abusive family! So you know what, you know nothing!" He was panting by the end of his tirade, but felt better having let out pent up emotions, until he realized what exactly his last comment had been.

"Perfected this? Laughable. I break your barriers every time."

"I only let you see what I want. Try me."

A sneer over took Snape's face. "Legillimens." He pushed against his least favorite student's mind, trying to break through, but was forcefully repelled. A shocked look replaced his usual glower. "How?"

"I already told you, I let you in." Harry almost sighed in relief, thinking his teacher had forgotten his previous words that had spilled out in the heat of the moment. His relief was short lived.

"You lied Potter. Dumbledore would never leave his beloved Savior in an abusive home. You just want more attention."

Harry fumed inside. "Fine." He grabbed his bag. "I've mastered Occlumency. I don't need lessons. And I'm not coming back."

The moment Harry's back was turned, Snape repeated the spell, taking the boy by surprise and easily pushed past the flimsy mental walls. He pushed deeper, trying to find what Harry's life was like with his muggle relatives. The memories seemed to be buried, so he pressed as hard as he could. He felt the obstacle in his path give way and was granted what he searched for.

_'Worthless brat!'_

_"You should have died with your useless parents!'_

_'Freak!'_

_'You've been nothing but trouble since you were born.'_

_'Why don't you just die already?!'_

Scenes flashed by, physical torture following the verbal abuse, and after a few years, moving to rape and humiliation.

_'Whore!'_

_'Slut!'_

_'Good for nothing bitch!'_

_'Say you love it whore.'_

_'You're worthless. The only thing you're good for is fucking.'_

_'Meet my friends…your new masters.'_

"NO!"

Snape was forcefully pushed away, both mentally and physically. As he hit the ground, a wand pressed against his neck.

"How dare you?!" Harry said in a deathly whisper. "You had no right. I should kill you where you lie." As soon as the rage had come, it vanished, leaving a broken soul that had been battered and torn many times in its wake. Before Shape could catch his breath, Harry was gone, leaving his professor to wonder at what he had seen.

The Golden Boy he had always seen had been an act. He, being a spy and always behind a mask, should have seen past what the boy had been showing and knew now that he should have looked for the truth. He hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted to believe the Gryffindor could be human, could break. What was he to do? Going after the boy was first and foremost. Grabbing his wand just in case, he took after Harry Potter.

Damnit! He had slipped up. Snape had seen what he had always hidden. No one knew the truth, save Dumbledore and now his potions professor.

Not watching where he was going, he crashed headlong into someone.

"Ow. Fifty points from whoever just hit me." A dazed Draco Malfoy said as he sat up. He had just stepped out of an adjacent hallway only to be barreled into by a student running at full speed. Shaking his head, he looked up only to see Harry Potter's tear stained face looking back at him mere seconds before the boy was up and taking off again. He sat for all of two seconds before the realization that Potter had been crying hit his brain. He couldn't pass up this opportunity to torment the boy. Just as he was getting back to his feet, he was knocked down a second time by a decidedly bigger person.

"Damnit! Minus fifty points!" two voices shouted at the same time.

"Professor Snape?"

"Draco? Never mind. Have you seen Potter?"

The blond could see the worry in his Godfather's face and instantly was on alert. "Why?"

"Draco. Tell me where he went. Now!"

"Why?"

"This could be life or death."

"You better start talking."

"I don't have time for this. Legillimens!"

"Damnit Sev, stay out!"

His demand was obviously too late as his favorite professor got up and took off after Potter. Not to be out done, he jumped up and followed.

"Bed Draco!"

"No!"

Both knew the other wouldn't give up, so they left it as such. Neither thought the distraught boy would go back to his house, so they had to go to the next most likely source. Given the teen's direction and information from the headmaster, he knew Potter was heading to the Room of Requirement.

Harry knew Snape would follow him and was quite sure Draco would do the same, both for different reasons. Hopefully they would stop at the tower, giving him more time. As he reached his destination, he passed it three times, desperately wishing for a place to hide. A door appeared and he dashed through it, slamming it shut behind himself. The noise echoed down the hall to his followers and, unknown to him, confirmed their suspicions.

The door jerked open, admitting Professor Snape immediately followed by Draco. The blonde bumped into his godfather when the elder stopped abruptly. From the dark stepped Harry, green eyes blank. He was flanked on either side by…himself?! Others moved forward until the two were surrounded by a dozen different Harry Potters.

"Um Sev…?"

"Yes?"

"Which one's real?"

"Technically, they all are."

"The original?"

"None."

"So get rid of them."

"The only way is to either harm them, or curse them, but…"

The blond darted forward, not bothering to listen at the prospect of punching his rival, no consequences possible. Sad emerald eyes turned to him. They closed and the Harry in front of him disappeared as Draco lashed out at him. Even as he was filled with satisfaction at having punched his rival, a pang of sadness shot threw him, trying to make him stop.

"Draco…"

He blocked out his godfather, preferring instead to vent his frustrations at Potter, frustrations that had been building for years. Even as target after target disappeared, the small ache grew.

"Draco…stop!"

The blonde pulled back, glaring at his professor. "Why? We have to find the original."

"Everything you do to them, happens to the real one. And Potter's not one of them." Snape stunned the remaining five clones. As the figures hit the ground, they vanished. Black eyes turned to glare heatedly at his student.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't stop to listen. Fifty points from Slytherin for sheer stupidity."

Glaring, Draco turned to walk away, only to bump into something in his way. "Ow, what the hell? Lumos." As the room lit up, the two found themselves surrounded by mirrors. An unconscious Harry Potter lay reflected in all of the mirrors. "Why is he asleep?"

"The stunning spell." Snape was looking around, onyx eyes calculating, trying to find a way to get to the teen.

"What about summoning him to us?" Draco asked, as if he heard his professor's thoughts.

"And have him come through the glass? Did he hit you harder than I thought?" Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he muttered a spell and closed his eyes. He could clearly see the boy. Concentrating, he tried to focus on the path to the teen instead of the wizard himself. A path lit up in his mind. Opening his eyes, he still saw the way. "Draco…" Turning his head, he found the blond teen was nowhere in sight. Muttering to himself about his godchild getting lost, he took off on the path towards Potter.

When his professor went into the trancelike state, Draco rolled his eyes. Leave it to his godfather to use such an unreliable spell. He was going to sit down, when he felt a tug. Something was pulling him through one of the five pathways. He glanced back to the Potions professor before following his gut feeling. As he passed through, a mirror slid into the opening he had just come through. Another hole opened up a little down the path to the left. A second tug, almost physical, pulled him to the right.

Doors opened up on his right and left, but he passed them, realizing the maze was changing, altering itself. Snape would never find the lost teen, even with the spell. A pull to the left and Draco turned, his gaze falling on the mirror closing the way behind him. He stopped a moment, gazing into the reflection of the black haired hero. Bruises were forming on his visible skin and he sure there were others. A pang of guilt shot through him as he saw blood from a split lip.

He wasn't supposed to feel guilty. He wasn't supposed to regret what he had done. The clones should have been just that, clones. If he hurt them, Potter wasn't supposed to receive the same. For once the teen did nothing to deserve the treatment.

Unconsciously, his feet began moving, even as he stared at the black haired boy that surrounded him on all sides. Another turn to the right, straight, left, right immediately after. He sped up, sensing somehow he was close.

Snape was amazed. He had completed all the turns, going through the path, only to find himself completely lost. He sat down, leaning against one of the mirrored walls. Maybe the spell had gone wrong? He didn't know. While contemplating what he should do, he suddenly fell backwards as the mirror behind him shifted aside. The maze was changing itself, trying to make sure its occupants didn't find the way out or to each other.

Out of the corner of his eye, Snape spotted movement. Glancing over, he saw Draco approaching the unconscious wizard. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. Draco was actually being gentle as he softly shook the other's shoulder. The moment the blond touched the brunette, the mirrors shattered, leaving the three of them in a softly lit room.

"Draco…" The blonde didn't look up. He didn't even look like he had heard. His complete attention was taken up by the comatose Gryffindor.

As the path he took led farther into the maze, the tug became more urgent. He moved faster, knowing instinctively he was close. The pull abruptly stopped. He was at a dead end and before he could move back, a mirror slid into his path. "Damn," he muttered. But there must have been a reason he had been almost physically pulled to a dead end. Glaring at the walls around him, he noticed he wasn't reflected in one of them. As he neared that side, he saw himself kneeling next to Potter. Not bothering to wonder how, he walked through the glass. The black haired teen lay in front of him, angelic looking despite the bruises he was showing.

Another rush of guilt hit him as he walked over, kneeling next to his long time rival. At first, all he wanted to do was roughly shake the boy and then demand answers, but something held him back. Instead of being rude and potentially hurting the boy further, he gently shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up without startling him. The second he touched his raven haired rival, the mirrors cracked and shattered, shards of glass sparkling before vanishing to leave them alone in semidarkness.

"Draco…"

A voice spoke in the back of his mind, but he ignored it, instead focusing on Potter. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of him. As if in a trance, his hand moved to brush the messy hair to the side, showing a little more of the teen's face. Moving gently, a finger traced the trail of dried blood. It immediately came off, and as he looked at his finger, the blond noticed the blood wasn't dried, but formed into a bead of crimson on his fingertip.

He suddenly wanted to suck on his finger to erase the proof of his rival's humanity. Before he could complete his intended action, Draco's wrist was tightly pulled away.

"No Draco. There's something…not right with this." Snape reached over and copied the blonde's action, but the blood stayed where it was. His eyes narrowed as he pulled a vial from his pocket. Using his grip on his godson, Snape gently swiped at Potter's lip, watching as the blood instantly clung to the young wizard's finger. He brushed the pale digit against the lip of the glass, watching as the crimson beaded at the top and remained until he trailed Draco's finger down the side, the blood following down on the inside of the glass.

As the crimson liquid left his finger, Draco seemed to come out of the trance. "Wha-what? Sev, how'd you get here? Where'd he come from?" he asked, motioning towards the unconscious teen.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Walking through the maze. There was a dead end. I walked through the glass and saw him. I went over and leaned down to wake him up."

"That's it?" The blond nodded. "When you touched him, the mirrors shattered. You shook him, but…tenderly, as though you didn't want to hurt him. You brushed his hair aside then wiped at his lip. The dried blood came off and clung to your fingertip as though it had just spilled." He held up the vial. Along the bottom, there was a small streak of dried blood. Pulling Draco's finger up, he placed it against the glass, watching as the blonde saw the blood immediately bead up along the glass against his finger.

"How?"

"I don't know Draco. There's something about his blood that reacts to you alone." As Draco's finger moved away, his replaced it. Nothing happened. "Come on. We better get him to the Hospital Wing." He turned towards the door, only to find there was none.

"Sev?"

"Yes Draco…"

"Where's the door?"

"I don't know Draco."

As they were talking, the stunning spell on Harry wore off. He groaned, drawing the others' attention, but didn't wake. The room around them shifted, as though responding to his needs.

A giant bed with deep emerald green hangings and covers appeared to one side. Floating candles gave off a soft light that was joined by a scent softer than the glow now in the room.

"Take a hint?" Draco murmured. Not bothering to cast a levitation spell, he gently picked up the sleeping teen and walked carefully to the bed. "Sev, pull the covers back."

Snape was, to say the least, surprised at the way his godson was displaying an unconscious protective attitude towards the dark haired teen. As he reached the bed, he couldn't help but be amazed. The comforter was a heavy velvet cloth, finer than either had ever seen. The sheets were a soft suede. The mattress was a softer goose down than even the Malfoy's owned. There was something odd about the royal treatment the Room of Requirement was lavishing on the teen, as if Hogwarts itself knew something about Harry Potter that no one else did.

The blond set the teen down in the bed before covering him up in the heavy covers. "What's going on Sev? This room has never responded to someone while they're in here."

"I don't know Draco, but I'm beginning to think it has something to do with him." He nodded towards the bed.

"God, I wish I knew what was going on."

The two felt a twist in their stomachs seconds before a heavy leather bound book fell between them, almost hitting the Potions teacher.

"Um, thanks."

Snape looked thoughtful. "Maybe the room responds to you."

"I didn't want this." He nodded his head at the room. "If anything, I want a way out." No door appeared though Draco felt an echo of the sensation that had happened when the book appeared, as though the room wanted to respond to his request, but something was holding it back. "I think it's him." Both of them looked at the sleeping boy.

"He probably wants a place to hide. A hiding place isn't much use if anyone can come in."

"But that means he's blocking me, meaning the room responds to him first."

"The room responding to anyone once inside doesn't make sense."

The blond stared at the book before sitting in front of it. "This is here for a reason. I wanted to know what's going on and this showed up." Not bothering to wait for Snape to tell him not to, he opened the cover. A strange language began appearing, as though it was being written by an invisible hand at that exact moment. The ink, a crimson color, shone wetly in the candle light.

A pained moan came from the bed, drawing their attention.

"Sev…"

"I see it."

The potions master and his student stared, transfixed, on the shining red blood that was slowly pooling on the sleeping teen's hand. Glancing from Harry to the book, Snape couldn't help but be worried. He watched as Draco touched the script on the page, ink clinging to his finger in a drop just as Harry's blood had.

Just as Harry's…had…

Draco jumped as the heavy book was slammed shut. His eyes widened as the blood on Harry's palm slowly seeped back into his body.

Dark lashes fluttered as the teen groaned in pain. Emerald eyes slowly opened, showing the pain he was in. He sat up, wincing as the bruises made themselves noticed. "Ow. What a dream…" He felt like he had been hit a few bludgers. Looking up, he caught sight of both his least favorite professor and his biggest rival. "Or rather a nightmare…" he muttered to himself. "Might I inquire as to the reason for the visit to my room?"

"Your room?" Draco sneered only to have a sharp glare thrown in his direction by his godfather.

"Yes, my room. Dumbledore said I could have this as my bedroom."

"The colors don't match you."

"Forgive me Malfoy, for intruding on your house colors, however, this style…suits me better."

"Fascinating as your conversation is, what is the last thing you remember Mr. Potter?" The teen was acting too…something, for him remember what had happened.

"Dinner, though I'm guessing there's something I'm not remembering." When Snape nodded, Harry sighed. "My mind tends to block out unpleasant things. After my second year, I grew tired of not knowing huge portions of my life. A simple spell and…" Harry broke off, mumbling a spell under his breath in the low hisses of parseltongue. "…I remember everything." Gone was his polite attitude. Harry glared daggers at his teacher.

"I told you to stay out," he hissed in a low voice.

Draco was, to say the least, surprised at the drastic change the younger teen had undergone. His professor appeared unmoved by the alteration in mannerisms.

"You would have let it continue. I am a teacher and to let something like _that_ continue, even knowing about it, goes against everything. Long held dislike for you or not, I can't…"

"Why not?! _He_ doesn't have a problem allowing it. He never cared. He forced me to go back year after year even knowing and he supposedly _likes_ me!" Harry sounded bitter. "Why should you be any different, even more so because you hate me!"

The blonde's ears were ringing, the words from the others flying around in his head, confusing him completely. All he did know was that Potter had a secret someone knew but didn't do anything about, but now his godfather knew and wanted to do something. His godfather hated Potter but wanted to help, and the other person, who supposedly liked Potter didn't want to help, but apparently encouraged the secret, whatever it was. Thinking of it his way cleared things up. Slightly.

"Fool! That Dumbledore could allow something that like is insane. It's impossible. He can't know of it."

"You didn't believe me before and look what happened. You think you'd learn. Fine, don't believe me? Care to go picking through my every thought until you find something else worthwhile? Believe me, there's plenty for you to use against me. Go ahead. I have no shields up! Go ahead." Harry waited. "What can't do it while I'm looking at you? Prefer to do it when my back's turned?" He spun around, unknowingly showing the blond-whom both Snape and he had forgotten about-angry tear-filled eyes.

When Snape made no move to enter his mind, Harry's emotions seemed to explode out. A rush of power left him before brick walls slammed down around him, closing him off from the others in the room completely.

"Well, that went well," Draco commented dryly. "What exactly did you do to piss him off that much?"

All the blond received for his question was a glare. "That's none of your concern. You seem to have power over this room, get rid of the walls around him."

"What, you don't think I tried? The most it did was shrink the height a little."

"Get around it then. He shouldn't be left alone the way he is. The state of mind he's in, he'll probably do something stupid."

The bricks disappeared. "I can hear you." Green eyes narrowed. "Get out." A door appeared along one of the walls. When neither made to move towards it, Harry repeated himself. "I said get out! This is my room; you have no right to be here!"

The floor beneath Malfoy and Snape began shifting, moving them towards the door.

"Do something Draco."

The blond muttered," I've been trying, but the room can't respond to me if it goes against him."

"Get around it. Don't make the door vanish, lock it. Don't make the floor stop, reverse it. Use your head."

There was a soft click form the shut door, then the floor beneath them began to slow and then turned backwards.

"Why won't you just leave? You've never cared before, don't pretend to care now. Go back to holding a grudge so I can go on pretending to be normal for a little longer okay."

Oh boo hoo. Poor little Potter thinks his life is so hard." Blazing emerald eyes locked onto cold silver. "Golden Boy thinks his life sucks. What, did you run out of things to use to gain attention and now you're trying something new?"

"Draco…" Even Snape couldn't believe what his godson was saying. He knew the blond hated Potter, but apparently hadn't known the extent the bitterness had reached.

"Watch what you say Malfoy. You might not like what you find out."

"Like there's anything to find. You're just one big walking sob story aren't you?"

Green eyes that had been filled with anger and pain seemed to drain, becoming empty and lifeless. "Don't believe me? Want to see what Snape saw, what Dumbledore allowed? Want to know why Snape all of a sudden cares?" When the blonde said nothing, Harry smirked coldly. "I thought not. I've been through enough to make you sob in pain just from seeing it. Shut your mouth about what you don't know."

The Potions master coughed lightly. Had the situation been different, he would have been amused at the Slytherin tactic Potter had used to silence the blonde. He was taken aback when empty jade eyes turned to him.

"If you're not going to leave, at least give me my space." A door appeared right next to Harry as well as two beds alongside one of the other walls. Neither intruder said a word until the door shut behind Potter with a snap.

"I could have told you that would happen if you pissed him off."

"And you didn't, why?"

"You wouldn't have listened."

"What was he talking about? What is it you know?"

"It's not my place to tell you. It wasn't my place to pry either and look where that got us."

"How'd you find out then?"

"The same way I found out where he was from you."

"Sev…Is that what he was talking about? When he said you couldn't do it while looking at him?" Snape nodded. "He turned his back to you and you used Legillimens on him?"

"I thought he was lying."

"About what? What did the old coot allow? What has he been through to make him look like that?"

Black eyes narrowed in thought. His student seemed to actually care about the Potter boy. "I can't tell you. You should have asked when you had the chance."

Grey eyes turned towards the door Potter had gone through.

"Draco…"

"Better late than never, right?" The blonde darted to the door before his god father could stop him. He knocked before just opening the door and dashing through, slamming it behind him so Severus couldn't get through.

"Something you wanted Malfoy? I thought you already said what you needed to."

Draco spun around, eyes widening at the sight he encountered. Potter was turned away from him, body tense as he went through the motions of what looked like an odd fighting style. His movements weren't what caught Draco's eyes. The strong back lightly glazed in sweat however, was. White strips and lines covered the tan skin.

"Potter…"

"There's only so much playing with a china doll can take before it shatters into a million pieces that can't be put back together."

Confused, Malfoy said the first thing that came to mind. "A spell would fix it."

Still not turning, Harry replied coolly. "Magic can't heal everything. A piece is lost and the doll is never the same. The emotions, memories held in the toy can never be replaced or returned. The meaning is lost forever. An empty shell of a toy is better left broken."

"What are you talking about?"

"A toy can be played with until broken. The same can be said for a person. They can be hurt, abused," Harry paused as a target appeared before him. "Played with until they're broken." He struck out, lashing at the target, completely destroying it. "Or until they fight back."

"The scars? Are they…?"

"Just cracks in the china." Harry finally relaxed his posture, turning around slowly to face the blond trespassing in his room. "Why are you here Malfoy? Come to yell, make fun of poor Potter?"

Again, Draco was stunned silent. More scars covered the green-eyed boy's chest. Words were carved in places. Gashes so deep and jagged they looked like they were still healing. What held his gaze was the word carved across the tan collarbone. Loveless was inscribed in a beautiful script, making the word look even more surreal.

"Malfoy?"

The uncertainty in the voice shook him out of his trance. "I was going to ask." When Potter didn't respond, he continued. "I wanted to ask for the truth. Sev said it wasn't his to tell, but…it's not mine to know." Before he could take back his words, he disappeared through the door.

"Well?"

"I didn't ask."

Snape looked curious. "Why not?"

"It's not my place to know."

The door in the middle of the room opened, allowing the teenager inside to exit before disappearing. Harry moved past them, shirt tossed over one shoulder, oblivious to the fact that Snape was seeing his scars. "You should leave before the room locks itself." Even as he spoke, the door to the rest of the castle disappeared. "Never mind, now you're stuck here. Make yourselves comfy." Humming a dark and morbid tune, Harry walked to one of the walls and vanished through it, leaving the others to stare in amazement.

"What in the…" Draco darted forward, laying his hand against the apparently solid wall only to have said appendage push through.

"Draco…"

"Hmm?"

"Did he tell you about the scars?"

Smirking slightly, the blond replied. "Yeah, they're just cracks in the china," before disappearing through the wall.

"Potter…" Draco stopped and stared around the new room in amazement. Softly lit chandeliers threw light on the marble surfaces of the overly extravagant bathroom. A bath at least double the size of the Prefect's dominated the room. Steamy water poured from thin air in a gentle waterfall to one side. Mirrors lined one wall completely. Huge fluffy towels hung in midair, waiting to be used.

"Stalking me now?" came an amused voice. Malfoy was surprised when the sound didn't echo because of the room's size.

"How do you control the room like this?"

"This? You mean this bathroom?"

"And the bed. Both seem to be for royalty."

"I think that was an insult. Trying to say I can't have something like this? That I don't deserve it?" Harry asked, a touch defensively. He had deliberately left the wall 'unlocked' and if insults were all he was going to get for it, Draco would be kicked out.

"No, it's just…you don't seem the type to want things like this."

"I don't. I didn't bring this or the bed. I would have been happy with a small shower stall and a cot, but the room always gives me this."

"Dow do you control it? The room that is."

"How do you? I just…do. If I were to want, say, a plate of strawberries and chocolate sauce, it would appear." As if to agree, a small platter of bright red fruits appeared with a bowl of chocolate topping next to it. "Like that."

"Strawberries and chocolate? Where's the whipped cream?" A bowl of cool whip appeared next to the chocolate. "Better." He grabbed a sweet fruit, dipped it in the chocolate, and then added a glob of whipped topping with his finger before popping the treat into his mouth. "Mmm, delicious." He turned to find Harry off to the side, standing beneath the impossible water fall, back turned to him. And naked.

"Stop staring. One might think you're gay Malfoy." Despite the words, Draco somehow knew the teen was teasing him. The question he wanted to ask of course was,

"How?"

"The mirrors."

Instead of responding, an action which most likely would have made him blush further, he stripped out of his clothes and walked to the pool's edge. He felt a hot gaze on his back. "Careful Potter. Staring like that, someone might think you're gay."

"And you didn't know that? Where have you been the last year."

"Apparently not here. Is it true?"

"Why would I lie? Seriously though, it was all over the school."

"Why is it I don't know this?"

"Don't know. Are you grossed out?"

"Nope."

"Isn't that interesting…"

"What?"

"Nothing." Harry smirked as the floor beneath the blond shot up, knocking said teen forward into the soapy water.

Green eyes sparkled in amusement as the teen came up, sputtering, almost completely covered in colored bubbles. Shining silver narrowed as the mocking teen drew closer. "Of course you know, this means war…"

Stopping at the edge of the pool, Harry smirked. "Not if you're going against me. I don't want the floor to grow." He didn't realize his mistake until he saw the blond smirk. He was too late to stop the floor from dropping away from him, yelping as he slipped into the water with a splash.

Smirk widening almost to a smile, Draco waited for Potter to surface, ready to gloat. A minute passed with no sign of the teen. He began to worry-not that he would ever admit it-thinking maybe Harry had hit his head or something. Just before be slipped into complete panic, he felt strong hands on his shoulders, shoving him under water.

When a soaking wet Slytherin surfaced again, he was met with a teasing voice. "That wasn't very nice Draco."

The way his name passed those teasing, pouting lips, a tempting purr, made Draco shiver slightly. "You started it, Harry." He made his voice as sultry as possible when saying the teen's name. The silver eyed boy was rewarded with a visible tremble running through his rival.

"You're playing with fire Malfoy."

"I always was a pyro." A rush of ice cubes poured down on the teen, gray eyes widening in shock.

"Maybe that will cool you down." Harry smirked before swimming off, softly mocking laughter trailing behind him. The laughter abruptly stopped with a yelp as a tan back hit something big and freezing cold. Turning around, green eyes met with a solid sheet of ice.

"Problems Potter?"

Emerald eyes narrowed. "Not at all." Snowballs appeared in front of the black haired teen. With a small smirk, the projectiles launched themselves at his rival.

Draco's eyes widened before he dove under the water, hoping to avoid the icy missiles. Coming up from the water after about 30 seconds of waiting, he was shocked to see the snowballs above his head. Squeaking, he plunged back under after a hasty breath. He swam in the direction he knew the other teen to be in. Bumping into a hard body, he popped up, smirking at laughing green eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the projectiles approached.

"Give up Malfoy?"

"Never." He ducked down just before the snowballs hit, only to be joined by his rival a second later.

Once both teens surfaced again, their eyes met. "That wasn't very nice Draco…"

"Neither was launching them at me." He nodded towards the icy orbs frozen in the air next to them.

"You dropped me in the pool."

"You knocked me in first."

"You stared at me first."

"Well, you stared at me second…"

"And I gave detention first," came an unamused voice from the unusual wall.

Surprised silver eyes glanced up, landing on his godfather, while the black haired teen backed away from his pale companion before glancing at the Potion's master as well.

"Sev…"

"Might I inquire as to what exactly is going on in here."

"Nothing…" The blonde looked just a little too innocent.

"And the snowballs?"

"What snowballs?" The icy globes immediately disappeared. "We were just talking, weren't we?" He turned to face his rival, only to find the pool empty besides himself. Looking around, he found Potter wrapped in a fluffy towel, walking towards his clothes. "Potter?"

Green eyes glanced over, staring at the blond, trying to assess the teen. Offering a small nod of the head, the teen dropped into a hole near his feet after grabbing his pajamas.

"Draco?" Snape asked as the hole in the floor closed. "What was that about?"

"I was getting him to relax, trying to take his mind off of everything else. Whatever happened to him. It was working." He glared at him favorite professor. "Until you showed up." The snowballs that had disappeared, reappeared and launched themselves towards the potions master.

"Draco!" Snape's voice was unusually high pitched as he fell back through the wall. For a moment he thought he was safe. His hopes were dashed when said missiles came through and hit him hard enough to sting. The blond didn't come through and when he touched the wall, Snape found it solid to the touch. He sighed, wondering when teenage _boys_ became so temperamental, thinking he only had to worry about girls. The two he was dealing with made girls look sane, calm, and rational. Rolling his eyes, he made his way to one of the two spare beds, suddenly feelings tired and very worn out. The Occlumency lessons were draining themselves, but when coupled with everything that had been revealed, Snape felt exhausted. As he reached the bed, a tray appeared, showing a small, but delicious looking dinner complete with warm butterbeer, a drink he rarely indulged in, despite it being his favorite.

Snape slowly ate the food, sips from the drink warming his entire body. His gaze traveled to the book laying on the floor. Whatever was in the pages could help them figure out what was going on, but at what cost? He got up, abandoning his now empty tray, in favor of picking up the closed book. Carrying it to a table that had three chairs around it, he set it down, watching as the cover started to open before he slammed it closed. He jumped when a door behind him opened and then clapped shut, turning to see the blond wrapped in a towel, walking towards the second spare bed.

Four walls appeared around the grand bed. A door appeared on one of the four walls around the bed, opening as Harry stepped from thin air near the entrance to his improvised room within his room.

"Potter?"

Harry stopped but didn't turn. "What Snape?"

"This book can tell us what's going on."

"So read it so you can leave me alone."

"It's blank until opened."

"Some books are, but you already knew that." He turned suddenly, warily watching his teacher. "What are you getting at?"

"It appears the writing is in your blood Potter."

Bright green eyes widened. "What are you talking about? Books aren't written in blood."

"This one apparently is. While you were unconscious, Draco said he wanted to know what was going on. This book appeared. When he opened it, the pages were blank, but then began to fill with a strange language written in crimson."

"That doesn't mean it's blood, least of all mine."

"Blood began to pool in your hand from a cut that hadn't been there before. When I closed the book, the blood seeped back into your hand. What other explanation is there?"

"My blood?"

The blonde came up next to the suddenly pale black haired teen. "It's about you, or your history. It makes sense it would be your blood," Draco murmured, trying not to scare his rival. The teen already looked shell shocked. "It was written in a script neither of us could read. Maybe because it's about you, you can read it."

Harry's eyes widened, looking lost, as Draco led him to the table. He looked completely traumatized by what he had learned and what he was about to learn. Innocent green eyes looked at the thick leather bound book, almost as if it would jump up and bite him. His rival guided him into one of the chairs before sliding the book in front of him.

"Potter, this can be done in the morning."

"No…I-I want to know why." Before he could change his mind, Harry opened the book, eyes widening as the pages began to fill with writing. Feeling a sharp pain, he glanced at his palm, watching as the blood clung to him even when he turned his hand upside down. His gaze traveled back to the book, surprised to find he could read it. He began reading aloud, not noticing the two watching him look even more confused.

_Chosen One, descendant of the four,_

_Gifts bestowed, payment deserved,_

_Revenge on those who hurt…_ He was stopped when Draco shook his shoulder.

"In English."

Harry was confused. He'd said every word as was written on the page. "What?"

"You were speaking in Parseltongue Mr. Potter. Please translate for us."

"Umm, I think it's a journal of some sort. It's handwritten and it looks like it was done in a hurry in some places. 'Chosen One, descendent of the four, gifts bestowed, payment deserved. Revenge on those who hurt…' And that's where I got to."

"Chosen One…" Draco was damned near speechless.

"Descendent of the four…" Snape couldn't believe what he had heard. "The founders. You are the only living descendent that remains of the four. How is that possible?"

Harry grew paler if that was possible. It seemed to sink in that he was related to all four of the founders of Hogwarts. It was surreal, like he was in a dream. Harry pinched himself to make sure he was awake.

"Do you want to stop?" Concerned silver eyes watched the shell shocked teen.

Before he could change his mind, Harry went back to reading, softly hissing under his breath. He was completely unaware that the blonde's hand rested on his shoulder, gently rubbing his back to calm him. Finally he sat up, eyes wider than ever, before he fainted.

The blonde wrapped his arms around the suddenly prone teen, desperately wishing to know what was written in the book. He wanted to know what was so bad that the teen had fainted from it.

"We should have waited. Everything he's been through, tonight and in the past. I shouldn't have told him about the book." Snape couldn't help but feel guilty, an emotion he was only vaguely familiar with. "Draco, take him to bed. He needs the rest."

The young wizard nodded shutting the book, erasing the strange letters glaring at him. He watched as the teen's blood disappeared back into his hand before gently lifting Harry into his arms bridal style.

"Life's never boring with you, is it?" Draco murmured as he walked over to the door shutting Harry's bed off from everything else. The covers were still rumbled and pulled back, allowing Draco to just lay the teen on the soft sheets. The blonde backed away, only to find that Harry's hands had clenched into his shirt and wouldn't let go.

"Umm, Sev, could you come in here?"

"What now? Oh…" Severus looked amused. "I don't think he wants to be left alone."

"But, but…"

"He's taken a liking to you. Your presence comforts him for some reason. I don't think we should take the source of his stability from him."

"But…" Draco glanced at the bed, seeing innocence radiating from the sleeping boy. He finally sighed, sitting down on the bed. "You're right."

Snape slowly walked out, stopping to speak once at the door. "Keep him safe."

"Nothing can get in here."

"What about what's already there?" He left before explaining, shutting the door behind him.

"Couldn't life be easy for once?" Draco asked as his robes disappeared only to be replaced by black silk pajama bottoms. Harry's robe disappeared as well, leaving him in emerald green silk night pants.

"What's already here? What does that mean?" Still not figuring it out, he willed the door away so nothing could get in. Slipping down next to the teen, he pulled the covers over the both of them, almost groaning in frustration as Harry curled against him. "Sleep well Potter. In the morning, we're going to talk." He was asleep almost the moment he closed his eyes, feeling more at ease with his enemy of years than in his dorm room with the other Slytherins.

Three hours later, Draco was pulled from his peaceful sleep by a terrified scream. He scrambled awake, automatically looking for the cause of the scream. Next to him, Harry was trembling and writhing on the bed. His skin was pale and covered with a light sheen of sweat. Draco gently shook his shoulder, trying to wake the boy. Truthfully, he was shaken up by Harry's scream. According to both his father and Severus, the teen hadn't even screamed under the Cruciatus Curse and that was supposedly the worst of any torture. Whatever was in his nightmare was worse. Draco couldn't imagine anything like that. He was brought back from his thoughts by the soft, broken words whimpered out pleadingly.

"Potter? Potter, wake up." He tried to keep his voice calm and soothing, but he was worried. Not sure what else to do, he straddled the teen's hips to try and calm him. The reaction was far from what he expected.

"Vernon, no! Not again! Don't do it!" Harry jolted awake, sitting up so fast Draco fell from his perch and over the side of the bed to land in a heap. Jumping up, Draco was going to start ranting about being thrown to the floor, when he stopped. Harry was curled up, crying silently to himself, his body trembling with each barely suppressed sob. His heart almost breaking, Draco moved to the teen, wrapping him up in a hug. Harry's shoulders tensed before Draco shushed him gently and began rocking slightly.

When he felt the other was calm enough, the blond drew back only to feel the head against his shoulder shake no and arms tighten around his neck. He relented and didn't force the matter.

"I saw and heard nothing unless you want me to," he whispered gently. He felt a small nod against his shoulder and almost smiled.

Harry's breathing slowly returned to normal, only the occasional shudder running through him. Draco thought he had fallen asleep until he felt the fingers clasped at the base of his neck start moving, as if to offer their own comfort and thanks as well.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Too soon." Something inside Draco fell a little at Harry's words. "Can't talk about them right after." The unknown feeling disappeared from Draco with the teen's words, unconsciously glad that he wasn't talking because it was too soon, and not because he didn't trust him.

"When you're ready then, but it will help to talk. Until then, why not tell me why you fainted?"

Harry stiffened slightly, pulling away to sit by himself. He folded his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them before laying his head on his knees. "You might not like it." He shivered. He hadn't noticed how warm Malfoy had been until he pulled away. "Hell, I don't like it."

"Look at the bright side. I can't hate you anymore than I have these past few years."

Green eyes darkened, as if that fact was something he'd rather not remember. "I'm related to the Four. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. The book is Salazar Slytherin's journal to me, the Heir. He and Gryffindor were bonded and Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw bonded. My mother is related to the girls, my dad to the guys."

"So you're the last remaining relative of the four greatest witches and wizards of all time. That just makes you weirder than before. No big deal." He was trying to lighten the mood to make his temporary non-rival feel better. "Nothing's changed."

"There's more." His eyes dropped down to the coverlet. "I inherit everything."

"I don't get it."

"I'm the bloody richest wizard alive. Everything they've passed down is mine. They put a lot of their possessions in one vault that only the Heir can open."

"So you're a millionaire, bout time. Now you can finally dress like a human for a change."

"Billionaire. There is more than 50 billion galleons in there. That's not counting sickels, knuts, magical artifacts, not to mention any and all properties. Including Hogwarts."

"You own Hogwarts?"

"I own Hogwarts." Harry looked up from his study of the bedspread when he heard a thump. "Malfoy?" Uncurling from his protective position, he crawled over to the edge of the bed. Peeking over, he jumped backed when the other teen leaped up.

"You own Hogwarts! As in, this school! As in the school of witchcraft and wizardry?"

"Yeah. I didn't even get to the good part. I inherit their abilities too." Harry suppressed the a small smile as he resumed his position. Draco looked horribly confused. "They weren't exactly human." The blond swayed, falling backwards. He was saved from hitting the floor when Harry grabbed his arms and pulled him up. The blonde didn't expect to find himself laying on his rival when the teen lost his balance and fell back himself.

"Umm, Malfoy?"

"Hmm?" For some reason, Draco was insanely comfortable where he was and had no desire to move.

"I don't know what I am. I'm ¼ of each of them. Salazar didn't mention what they were exactly. He said that was something I'd learn after my birthday."

"And that is?"

"Three months ago next week. According to him, I should start showing Ravenclaw's first."

Draco say up as he realized what that meant. "So…you're not human?"

"No…"

"Great, yet another reason for special treatment." He didn't realize what he had was saying until he saw how his words had affected Harry.

Green eyes flaring in anger, Harry pushed Draco away before jumping up. "Is that all you can think about?! I find out I'm not human and you're worried about me getting special treatment?! You're such an asshole! Get out already." Glaring, he turned his back to the blonde so he wouldn't see how upset he was.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't think about what I was saying."

"Sorry or not, that's obviously how you really feel. First impressions never fade. You still see me like you have since first year."

"I don't. I know better. Old habits die hard and all. I'm trying, but I can't get rid of my every fault in one night."

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry for overreacting, I just…things would be so much easier if I could just talk to the four of them."

"You can't unless…"

"That's it! Come with me." He darted to Draco and grabbed the blonde's hand, pulling him against his chest just before a hole opened up beneath them.

"Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" The blond felt his stomach fly into his mouth, trying to jump out. The drop only lasted five seconds, but to him, it felt like five minutes. When they came to a stop, his eyes remained shut. After a few moments, he slowly opened them, surprised and rather disappointed to find them in a girl's bathroom. "Why exactly are we in a girl's toilet?"

"You'll see." Harry moved towards one of the sinks, not realizing he was still dragging Draco by the hand. A quiet hiss later, an opening was appearing.

"What…? Is this…? The Chamber?"

"Of Secrets."

"It's real?!"

"Very. I've been down there. It's not as bad as it was the first time. I've cleaned it up and even opened closed tunnels. There's a few paintings I need to awaken."

"The Founders?"

"Yeah, come on…unless you're scared?" He received the desired reaction. The blonde scoffed and dropped into the opening. A smirk later and Harry was following. Once they were reunited at the bottom, Harry took Draco's hand again, not noticing silver eyes trained on their interlocked fingers.

"It's not what I expected. Dank and boring really."

"Duh, if everything down here looked pretty, no one would fear it. Seriously though, this is just the entrance to the real chambers." He nodded towards several different tunnels. "Each leads to a different House and House Founder's room."

"What's the fifth?"

"That's where the Basillisk used to sleep."

"Used to?!" Draco yelped, looking around as if a giant snake was going to pop up at him at any second.

"I killed it second year. Come on, we'll see Salazar Slytherin about the book. I want an explanation." He tugged a completely stunned Draco down the far left tunnel.

"You killed the Basillisk?!" When Harry nodded, Draco's level of respect went up. "Bloody hell. You are seriously too good to be human."

"You do remember I'm not human anymore right, or at least not after Halloween."

"But you were in second year. That's unreal." He grew quiet as they reached a closed door.

"Only one linked to Slytherin can open this. Ron and Hermione tried to follow me in here." Harry's voice became a little forced at the mention of his friends. At the blonde's look, he sighed and went on. "They weren't happy when they found out I'm gay. And I wasn't too thrilled Ron was hanging out with me for popularity and Hermione to use my magic." At a questioning look, he finished. "My magic leaks from me. There's too much for me to use up to the point where I can't contain it and it basically clings to me like an aura. Hermione noticed it first year and found a way to take the excess from me. She's been doing so since she realized she could."

Silver eyes darkened in anger. He had known the Weasel and Mudblood were trouble, he just hadn't known how twisted they were. Not even he would use someone they way they had. "Want me to hex them?" He tried to sound flippant, but couldn't quite hide his anger.

Pretty red lips quirked up in a small smile. "If you want to. Dumbledore too while you're at it."

"Did you get your magic back from her?"

"No and I can't. She used the magic she took from me. If I tried to take hers to replace what she took, not only would her magic probably kill me, but she doesn't have enough. Even if I reclaimed the magic a little at a time for the rest of her life, it wouldn't be enough. She took a lot from me, or rather, a lot when compared to her. She's weak. The only reason she's done so well is because of her brain and my magic."

"Why would her magic kill you?"

"It's kind of hard to explain. Magic in our world is like blood to the muggles. Only certain types match and can be shared. My magic can be taken and used by anyone, but I can only receive like in return."

"So you're like O- and most others are like A+ right?"

"Yeah, how did you…?"

"Muggle Studies. We took some time for muggle medicine compared to ours. Pretty good for everything else of theirs being useless."

"Was that just a complement to muggles? Where's the real Draco Malfoy and what have you done with him?"

"Haha, very funny, but for the record, I know when to concede a loss. Muggles aren't completely stupid, just inferior. And before you ask, no, they shouldn't be killed. So, what type am I?"

Green eyes flashed in amusement. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Harry finally opened the door, leading the way for the blonde.

"Yes, I would. That's kind of why I asked in the first place." Draco's words finally trailed off as he looked around the grand room. Dark forest and emerald greens were accented by black and silver. A bed like the one the Room of Requirement gave Harry lay in the center, clean and neat as if it had just been made. Bookshelves lined one wall, ranging from dark arts and black magic to the purest of spells, books that were easy to find and books that were one of a kind. A blazing fireplace was against the wall near the books to offer a place of warmth and light to read by. More shelves decorated the wall, filled with magical artifacts. The fourth wall held Draco's attention however. Most of it was covered by an unmoving picture of his house's founder.

"Are you done gawking? I don't think you're going to impress him looking like that. Then again, we both are just in pajama bottoms at two in the morning. How much worse could a first impression get?" He tried to force a joking smile, but inside he was nervous. He desperately wanted his great, great, something great grandfather to like him. Strengthening his resolve, he touched the painting, calling its inner light to awaken. He wasn't sure if it had worked until he heard a soothing voice. It was somewhere between a purr and a hiss of a snake, and yet the weird combination seemed only too perfect and fitting.

"Finally, the Heir has awoken." Piercing burgundy eyes landed on Draco. "Come young Slytherin, what is your name?"

"Draco Malfoy, but I'm not the Heir. He is."

"A Gryffindor?! Oh for Heaven's sake, Godric will never let me hear the end of it." The painting proceeded to ramble about stupid hats that couldn't make right decisions if their stitching depended upon it.

"Umm, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I asked it not to."

"Why would you do something like that? Slytherin House has the most safety for our Heir."

"Let's just say a few who've come from the house haven't been the best. Besides, I really had no clue about any of this until I got my letter."

"What? But your parents should have told you everything as you grew up."

"I don't have parents. They died when I was a baby."

"What?! That wasn't supposed to be. Don't tell me your entire life that was supposed to be, wasn't."

"Considering I grew up with my muggle relatives, I'd say no, my life isn't how it's supposed to be, but that would be the fault of a madman claiming to be your heir who wants nothing more than to wipe all muggles, half-bloods, and Muggle borns off the face of the planet."

"Wake the others my boy, we have to talk." When Harry turned to leave, he spoke up again. "No, just call to them with your magic."

When Harry still looked a little lost, his rival spoke up. "Just release your hold on your aura. Your magic will reach them."

Burgundy eyes looked at the blond longer. "Malfoy you said? Yes, you are the exact image of your great something-or-other grandfather. Good man. Powerful and a true Slytherin. Glad to see your line is still true to me and my House."

"Not all of us. My father serves the one who killed your Heir's parents."

"At least you have your wits. Not going to follow him are you? No? Good. Hate to see a good bloodline like yours die out. Had you said yes, you would no longer be living."

"Oh Salazar, quit being dramatic." A deeper, relaxing voice cut in as a figure slipped in from the right side. "Stop staring, the least you could do is say hello after how many years? Maybe you never did love me even after I gave you a child."

"Rather, I bore it," Salazaar muttered.

Harry and Draco shared a very confused look before a higher soprano voice was heard as two more figures entered. "Oh, do stop with the acting Godric, for heaven's sake. You think he'd learn Helga. Salazar, good to see you again dear."

"And the same to you Rowena, Helga. Not so much you Godric. Still doubting my love after how long?"

"Now I see why you're crazy Potter. With relatives like these, who wouldn't be?"

Green eyes were lighter than they had been all school year, showing an inner gleam that had been missing. "I think they're perfect. Then again, maybe I'm biased."

"So Salazar, which one's our Heir. I dare say, is it the Gryffindor?"

"Only by a technicality. He asked the Sorting Hat to put him in Slytherin. So I'd say we're even."

"Dears, ignore them." Helga spoke up finally, a quiet alto voice. "But really now, you know who we are, we would like to know our Heir."

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

"Potter you say, and your mother? What line?"

"She was from a muggle family, Evans."

"She was no muggle born. The Evans family is a pure blood. Their line was destined to produce quibs after a time until the mother of the Heir was born."

"Godric, his father was a Potter," Rowena said, breaking up the reunion between the two men.

Harry's house founder smirked at his bonded. "You know what that means, don't you."

"But Salazar dear, Harry's mother was an Evans. Don't mind those two. They had to bet on you dear. Gryffindor or Slytherin, what your family line would be. Your mate and so on…"

"Mate?!" Harry swayed where he stood, losing his balance only to be caught by the blonde who offered a small smile. "I have a mate?!"

"Of course you have a mate." Salazar's voice was both exasperated, but caring. "With the four of us as your parents, in a sense, how could you not? It's imperative you find him or her. Only then will you gain your true power."

"I think I need to sit." A couch appeared behind the two teens when Salazar waved his hand. Harry nearly fainted. "Paintings can't do magic!"

"We're special, now sit, we have much to discuss. Hopefully you've received my journal."

"Er, just last night, to tell you the truth."

"When was your birthday?"

"Three months ago next Friday."

"This shouldn't be. Everything was seen has been wrong. I think we need to start from the beginning. Tell us your life story. We need to know everything."

Author's Note: Here's my second Harry Potter story, so hopefully it's good. I'm really not sure where it's headed…but wherever it's going, it's sure to be a bumpy ride for Harry and the gang. Sorry for the oocness, but it's my fic and I can do what I like to the characters. Review please to make me happy. Ja.


	2. All Twisted Up

Behind Green Eyes

Behind Green Eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own H.P. nor any characters. If I did, the story line would probably be a little different, so yeah. I'm not making any money off of this story nor do I plan to try.

Chapter Two: All Twisted Up

An hour passed. The tale took considerably longer due to many interruptions from inserted questions and comments (all of which were rather violent towards his pathetic excuse of an aunt, uncle, and cousin, as well as Dumbledore, Voldemort, the Minster, the Ministry itself, and several children from all four of the houses). Harry glossed over his time with the Dursleys, just stating it was horrible. He didn't want his relatives killed, and he was sure if he mentioned even half of what had happened, his relatives wouldn't live to see the next day. By the time he finished, his eyes were drooping and he was leaning against Draco with the blond's arm around his waist to keep him upright.

"Go to bed, Harry," Salazar finally said. "You've given us much to think about. When we have something to tell you, we'll send word. And don't worry; we can reach you without Dumbledore finding us."

Yawning, eyes blinking sleepily, Harry nodded. Standing up, he leaned against Draco, relishing the feel of the blond's hand on his waist. "I'll visit soon. I haven't asked any questions that I wanted to."

"Read my journal and then come with your questions. No matter what, be here on Halloween. You'll need help with your transformation. Draco may accompany you if you like."

Nodding absently, Harry followed as Draco led him towards the door. As he touched the handle, they appeared back in the Room of Requirement. Smiling slightly, he closed his eyes, finally falling into a restful sleep, locked in the blond's embrace.

Silver eyes gleamed in suppressed happiness. Draco couldn't help but be pleased that his rival trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms, trusting him to put him back to bed. He picked up the teen, gently setting him onto the bed before joining him, arms wrapped around the raven-haired innocent. He found himself falling asleep, lulled by the warm breath that puffed against his neck.

The sun shone brightly through an impossible window. Silver eyes slowly opened, the owner groaning as the bright light blinded him for a moment. He ducked his head down, instinctively searching for a dark place. He was jolted awake by the realization that the dungeon bedroom he lived in had no windows. Hissing as the overly cheery light stung his eyes, he sat up, looking around in confusion until he remembered what had happened the night before. Glancing at the bed, he was surprised and un-admittedly disappointed to find it empty. Grumbling in annoyance, he stood up and moved to the door, opening it to reveal Harry curled up in an oversized comfy chair with the journal on his lap. Severus was nearby, writing down what the black-haired teen was saying, though he appeared to be in shock.

Morning, Draco, Harry hissed in Parseltongue. Realizing what he had said, he looked up, relieved to see the blond merely looked confused. "I said 'morning', Malfoy."

"Morning, Potter." Surprisingly enough, Draco's words were said sincerely and without malice. His tone obviously affected the Gryffindor who smiled brightly. "So, what's it say?"

"I've only gotten to the part about the vault. Snape's been a little…distracted by what I'm telling him."

"You mean about last night? Like how Salazar was actually a pretty nice guy who actually had a soft side and was pretty good looking?"

"Um, no. I actually hadn't told him about the Chamber yet." For some reason, Harry blushed brightly. "He was just stunned by the fact that I'm really related to them and that I get everything."

"He inherits Hogwarts—why wouldn't I be shocked? He could have anyone here fired, banished. I'm just surprised to still be here," Snape said quietly. "I've done enough to make him hate me."

"And I do. Have the power, that is."

"But he has done nothing to get revenge."

"He wouldn't, now would he? It's not in him to really, truly wish harm to someone."

"I do so, just not anyone at Hogwarts. And stop talking about me like I'm not here." Harry pouted, drawing Draco's attention to his wonderfully cute rival. "Come on, let's get some breakfast." Three trays appeared, one on Harry's lap, the second on a table next to the Potions master, and the last on a second overstuffed armchair for Draco. Surprisingly enough, Harry's tray had the most food on it and apparently he wasn't happy about it. "Stupid room…" Harry mumbled, glaring at the tray filled with too much food.

"So, why hasn't a door appeared yet?"

"So eager to get away from me already, Malfoy?" He couldn't deny the pang of hurt that pulsed through him, though he didn't show it.

"There's only so much time I can spend with a Gryffindor before I start turning into one." Light pink lips quirked into a smirk to show he was joking.

"There's not much I can do about the lack of a door. The room likes to be temperamental. It goes against me when it thinks it's doing something for my own good."

"So keeping you in here with your least favorite professor and biggest enemy at school is for your own good? I'm beginning to think this room is sadistic." As if to agree, a whip appeared at the blond's feet, as well as a collar near Harry, courtesy of the room. Both blushed deeply at the implications.

"Eat, you two. There's a lot we have to do today, and since we're stuck here, we're going to do a lot of talking."

"I don't second that. I'm in favor of doing absolutely nothing. I just want to eat, sleep, and be completely lazy," the blond said, not realizing he was pouting.

"Now that, I agree with." Harry looked up from his slowly decreasing mound of food. "I'll read this journal, but beyond that, I'll do nothing. I finished my homework and I planned on taking this weekend to relax. Just because you're here does not mean you can order me around."

Seeing how stubborn both teens were being, Snape gave in, but only partially. "Today you two can be sloths. Tomorrow, we actually have work to do. We have to know what to expect on Halloween."

"I'll be down in the Chamber anyway, so why does it matter? Nothing's supposed to happen until then, and you're both allowed to be there. Well, at least Malfoy is."

"No, this is where I put a stop to it. I'll be there or so help me, you'll leave for your transformation. There can't be any chances taken with a school full of children. What if you lose your mind during the change? No, I'll be there for this."

"Fine. Besides, I'm sure Salazar and Godric would love to meet the teacher who has tormented me since I started here all because of some grudge against my father."

"Grudge or no, I'll be with the both of you in the Chamber on Halloween."

"Fine, fine. Malfoy, will you still be there as well?"

"Of course, can't give up the chance to see you possibly lose your cool. Besides, what if you turn hideous? I'd like to see your overly perfect appearance change." Even though he meant next to nothing he had said, he was serious about one thing. Harry's looks were positively godlike. He was perfection and seemed completely oblivious to the stares from anyone with working hormones.

"Ha ha, if I change into something hideous, it'll still be nothing compared to how you look now." His face was still bright red from the reference Malfoy had made about his looks. He hadn't meant what he said, though, and he was sure Draco knew this. The blond was eye candy. His skin was a perfect, pale expanse that really was as soft as it looked. He had found that out first-hand last night after he had awoken from his nightmare. He flushed deeper at the feelings that had come over him while in the blond's strong arms. Draco was stronger than he looked and Harry had just wanted to be carried away in the muscled arms he had felt so safe in. Not really understanding what he was feeling, he shook the emotions away to be looked at and examined at a later time, when the object of his thoughts wasn't right in front of him. And still shirtless. Yelling at himself for having such ideas about his enemy, he tried to focus on something other than the pale, exposed, muscled, delicious-looking chest the blond was showing off.

The Potions master rolled his eyes. The sexual tension that was beginning to build was annoying. He mentally cursed the room for locking him in with two hormonal teenagers. "You two could stop staring at each other long enough to translate the journal. Then again, that's just my opinion." Had he been the type, he would have cackled as the pair turned away from each other, blushing furiously. "Once you do, please create—or whatever you do—a room with potions ingredients. I need to make a few things."

Grumbling to himself about stupid Potions professors, Harry created an archway that led to a semi-dark room filled with more weird objects than even Snape had ever seen. The teens sniggered at the transfixed look on their teacher's face. As the door shut behind the elder, the two young wizards burst out laughing.

"He's never going to leave—you do realize that, don't you?" Draco asked in an amused voice.

"Yes, meaning we should have tomorrow off if we can get the journal translated today."

"But I don't want to. I want to curl up in an overstuffed armchair in front of a fireplace and daydream today away."

"You can, but I promised Salazar I'd read his journal and if I'm going to read it, why not translate it at the same time and save myself the trouble of doing it later? Besides, all you have to do is sit there and listen. I actually have to translate. Charm a quill, then all you have to do is direct the stupid thing."

"I don't wanna."

"Fine. Be a prat. See if I care." Huffing in annoyance, he picked up the journal and stomped to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. And he thought the blond Slytherin was actually a decent person when he wanted to be, but no, he was still a selfish prat. Glaring at nothing, he realized he wasn't as angry with the blond as he was with himself. Harry found himself wanting to be near the other teen for some reason and he didn't like it. He didn't want to feel like he needed to be with the Slytherin and yet, he couldn't seem to help it. The teen had appeared to have changed, but it was obvious he really hadn't. He willed the door away and locked himself in his room. Grabbing a notebook and a pencil, he jumped into the beanbag that had appeared in the corner. "Stupid prat," he muttered, opening the journal. He barely felt the twinge of pain in his hand as the pages began to fill with the beautiful script he was becoming very partial to.

The door through the arch opened, allowing an amazed to Snape exit. "That room is amazing. There are some things in there even I can't get. Where'd he go?" Snape noticed one of the room's occupants was missing, leaving the blond alone in his chair.

"He's pouting in his room."

Snape couldn't help but think the brunet wasn't the only one pouting. "Why?"

"Cause I didn't want to translate the journal right now. We still have tomorrow, and I just wanted to laze around until then."

"So you basically said that sleeping is more important than helping him understand his history and what's going to be happening to him?"

Feeling more and more like the prat he had been accused of being, he shot back angrily, "What about you, going off to make potions at a time when you, as his teacher, should be helping him?"

"Did you ever stop to consider the potions I plan on making are for him? We don't know what to expect, so I wanted to make a few potions just in case. Now will you shut up and either fix the mess you made or stay out of his way and mine. He doesn't need you giving him mixed signals about whether you care about what he's going through or not." Glaring reproachfully, he walked over to the blank wall that Harry stayed hidden behind. Feeling kind of stupid, he knocked on the wall, surprised when 'Go away' appeared on the wall. "Stop pouting and open up. I need to talk to you."

'I don't wanna talk.'

"We need to."

'Can't it wait until tomorrow?'

"No, now create a door or something." No door appeared, but he felt the world twist around him before he found himself on the other side of the wall. "You realize you're pouting, don't you?"

"Don't care," came the sullen answer from one of the corners. "I can pout if I want to." He was being petulant and he really couldn't care less.

"He doesn't know how to act around his so called-friends, let alone someone new."

"I don't care. Draco can do what he wants." Harry didn't realize he had slipped up.

"Since when is he Draco?" Snape asked, stepping towards the teen.

"Since I don't care." Harry finally looked up from his notebook, appearing worn out and depressed. "What do you want anyway?"

"We need to talk."

"You said that. What about?"

"What I saw. What happened to you during the summers?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't have to go back. It's over." Harry didn't want to talk about what had happened. It brought everything back to the front.

"It does matter. Like it or not, I'm actually here and you can talk to me."

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't need to."

"Tell me, or I'll tell the founders."

"I can't do it! It's hard enough knowing it happened, not being able to forget. I can't talk about it. It just makes everything come back. I relive it enough in my nightmares. I don't need to do so when I'm awake. I've dealt and I'm dealing with it in my own way. I'm not going to kill them. I'm not going to kill myself. As far as I'm concerned, I'm as normal as I can be after something like that."

"No one would be okay after that. Talking about it will help. I know."

"Unless you've been through something like this, you can't know."

"I know." He let his words sink in before continuing. "I didn't want to talk it, even thinking about it hurt. Finally, I talked to someone. I didn't want to, but they probed my mind with Legilimency. They confronted me and wouldn't leave me alone until I talked about it. I never admitted to it, but talking to him helped me get over it."

Curiosity piqued, Harry tried to sound normal. "Who was it?"

"Nope, I'll tell you when you decided to talk. I do believe it would surprise you, though." Looking to the corner surreptitiously, he found the teen slouched over his notebook, appearing to study his notes with no intention of saying a word. Sighing, he turned to leave, thinking it was too early to ask for his forgiveness and trust.

"It started when I was five. Before that, I was ignored. At that time, I would have given anything for some of their attention. I saw Dudley, their pride and joy, being showered with love and affection and I wanted that. At five, I got my wish for attention. My birthday surprise was a verbal attack. It started tame, and then just kept getting worse. At seven, my present was my first beating. I hadn't woken up early enough to make breakfast, so Vernon decided to wake me up his way. That first time, he broke my arm and gave me a bloody nose. The only reason I got to go to the hospital was because of the blood. My nose wouldn't stop and they didn't want a mess. I spent three days in the hospital. It was the best time since before my fifth birthday and the best time until I arrived here." Harry grew quiet, glancing back down at his notebook as he wrote the next few sentences down.

"The day my letter came from Hogwarts was the worst of my life. I was almost eleven when I received the letter in the mail. Vernon took one look at it before grabbing it and ripping it up. He told my aunt to take Dudley out and then he turned on me. I thought it was going to be another beating, nothing new. Whipping didn't bother me anymore and I think he knew it. I think that's why my life got worse and went straight to hell after that. Do I have to go on?"

"Not today. You've said most of it. We'll go on from there after you've had a chance to relax."

Blank emerald eyes sparkled slightly with curiosity. "So, who was it?"

"Translate as much as you can. And don't be too hard on my godson. He's trying, but really has no idea what he's doing." He walked back to where he had come in before turning to finish. "Your father." Giving a ghost of a smile, he felt the twist and found himself back in the main room.

Sighing, he glanced around for his student, finding him pacing in front of the fireplace. Silver eyes darted to where he had appeared before going back to watching the floor as he paced.

"He's not too mad, you know."

"I don't care."

"He said the same thing. You're both just stubborn and pouting. Like it or not, you hurt him with your refusal to help."

"So what? I never said I'd help him with anything."

"He expects it of his friends."

"Since when are we friends?"

"Since you helped him with his nightmare. Since he opened up to you and actually talked to you. Since he took you down to the Chamber, one of his few places of refuge from the rest of the world. Face it, he considers you a friend, and as such, you have a duty to be there for him. If you haven't noticed, he and the other members of the Golden Trio haven't been seen together since last year. He has virtually no one."

"You can't blame him for ditching those two. The Weasel was using him for popularity, and the Mudblood was stealing his magic."

"That would explain why the magical aura around him got smaller after first year. Granger was stealing the excess."

"You noticed the aura around him? How?"

"It's just another trick you'll need to learn. We'll have to start training the both of you."

"Why me?"

"You don't agree with the Dark Lord and now you're standing with Potter. You'll be seen as an enemy and be killed. I'd rather not lose my only godson to that madman." He sighed in relief when the blond nodded his agreement. "Now, speaking as your teacher, you have homework."

"No, I don't. I finished that already."

"Think of it as extra credit." He gave his godson a push towards Harry's room before turning to his own temporary haven. "And don't screw it up this time. I can't keep fixing your messes."

"Hey!" Draco shouted indignantly at the Potions master before he stepped to the wall keeping him and Harry apart. "I resent that."

"Sure you do, now get to work," said Snape, before the door shut behind him.

"Yeah, yeah." He was glad his godfather had shut the door. He didn't want him hearing if he crashed and burned with his rival. "Potter?"

'Go away and stay there. You're obviously too busy for me,' appeared written on the wall.

"Quit pouting. You're acting childish."

'Don't care.'

"I refuse to apologize to a wall, you know."

'You don't apologize. Besides, I'm not worth your time anyway, obviously.'

"Now you're being dramatic. Who said you weren't worth my time?"

'You insinuated it when you said you'd rather sleep than help me.'

"Neither of us got much sleep last night. Forgive me for wanting to relax before everything gets turned upside down."

'Your world's gonna get turned upside down?' The blond felt a twist of magic around him. "What about my world? Why can't someone actually care rather than pretend to? I'm going to transform and you're worried about a little problem."

"Got you to open up anyway. Look, I do care what happens and that's not something I'd easily admit to. I'm sorry for being a prat, but I have nothing else to go by. This is how I've always acted and now you've come in and aren't what I thought you were like and it's throwing everything off for me. I don't know how to act."

"I'm sorry too. I'm used to having friends, or rather, so-called friends. I know how to act so I don't hurt someone unintentionally. I guess that's something you've never had to learn."

"Yeah, well, we both messed up. We'll work on it."

"Why are you here, anyway? Not to sound rude or anything, but you're not the type to visit someone for no reason."

"I wanted to apologize and to help you out. I know this has to be hard on you…"

"Snape told you to?"

"No, he told me to do my homework." Draco tried to deny the truth without lying. "So, where are you in translating?" he asked, moving towards the corner housing the green-eyed boy.

"Not far. Snape interrupted me and then gave me something else to think about."

Not wanting to pry, Draco avoided asking any questions. "All right, let's get to work. There's a lot we have to read and we only have today."

"We have a lot to read?"

"Okay, you have a lot to read."

"Why don't we have tomorrow?"

"Severus wants us to start training as soon as possible. Oh, and he probably wants to kill Weasel and Granger right now."

"You told him?"

"He noticed on his own. He could see your aura around you."

"No wonder he looked at me weird for a while. I'd wondered. Can you see it?"

"No, can you?"

"Yes."

By this time, Draco had made his way to the corner and was standing next to the beanbag chair. "So what's mine look like?"

"It's white, white with red, silver, green, and black threads shifting through it."

"Do you know what the colors mean?"

"White is for purity, innocence for lack of a better word. Red is for fire. You have the blood of an elemental in you. The green is for the same. The black is a hidden power that you haven't awoken yet. The silver is for death. You've seen it, but your hands have no blood on them. That's why you have white as the dominant color. You don't have it in you to kill, nor to hate."

"I hate the Weasel and Mudblood. How do you know what the colors mean?"

"That's something else that comes with it. It's an ingrained knowledge on seeing what people are really like inside."

"It is like reading minds?"

"Kind of." Harry motioned to a second beanbag chair that had appeared. "It's more. I know if someone is really as evil as they act or if they're two-faced liars who aren't really who they've acted like for years. I only learned how to control this towards the end of last year."

"So that's why you ditched the Gryffindors?"

"They're selfish and only do things for themselves. Slytherin actually would have been the best home for me. They actually have a lot of white. Only one or two have completely black auras, showing they've killed and only three have gray, proving they can or want to kill. Most of the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs have a pale gray, showing they're capable of killing and have actually thought seriously about it."

"Who would have thought the Gryffindors would be so wrong? So who has the most white?"

"You and Blaise. He's actually really sweet once you get past his image. He's a romantic at heart."

"And me?"

"I never looked past the upper aura. It feels like I'm reading a diary. I can learn who a person really is, but some people have reasons for how they act. I actually think it's possible to see emotions in the aura, not the magical one of course. I think it's past the inner aura, but once I turn it on, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to turn it off. But I think it's for each individual person. I was trying one night and I think I turned on Ron's emotional aura. I'm not sure, considering it's red all the time."

"Try it with me. I don't live in a constant haze of anger."

"It's still an invasion of privacy. I'm not comfortable doing that until we…um, get along better. Shouldn't we get started? I would like a chance to just relax and enjoy my weekend. If we get done, we can spend time talking and…er, bonding?"

Hesitating only a moment, Draco replied, "Let's do it then. Give me that and read to me." He grabbed the notebook and pen, and then looked up expectantly.

"Umm, yeah…" Smiling to himself, Harry started reading, softly hissing to himself before reading it out in English to the blond. They passed the rest of the morning peacefully, only speaking when Draco hadn't heard a few words. They finally stopped for a quick lunch three hours after they started before going back to work. They took breaks in between translating to joke around to lighten the mood. They eventually lost focus completely, deciding they had translated enough for one day, and started talking about random things.

"What?"

"Twister. It's a Muggle game."

"That explains why I don't know it."

"It deals with flexibility and coordination. Oh, and stamina. The last one standing wins. Wanna play?"

"A chance to beat you, heck yeah."

"I don't know. I'm pretty flexible. And I don't have problems playing dirty."

"Neither do I. Let's do it."

A simple mat with colored dots appeared. Instead of the traditional board, the mat was the same size, but the colors were all mixed up, setting the two up for a very interesting game.

"So…?"

"So, we need a spinner." Instead of a spinner, a voice sounded in the room.

'Right foot, yellow.'

"Now what?"

"Just follow the directions."

'Left foot red.'

"Is that all?"

'Right hand red.'

"It'll get worse."

'Right hand green. Left foot yellow. Left hand green.'

Already, the two were in positions strange enough to raise eyebrows. Both were facing up, one of Harry's arms laced through Draco's while one of the blond's legs crossed over and was draped between two tan, muscled thighs.

"Well, twisted enough?"

"Not even close. If this is the best you can do, you're going down, Potter."

"You wish."

'Right foot blue. Right hand blue. Left hand green.'

"Why does it repeat things? Our hands were already on green."

"It's random. But what do you say we take things up?" Colors began changing all around them. Red, blue, green, and yellow dots were changed into pink, purple, black, and orange so the board was a combination of all eight colors. The only circles that remained their original color were the ones in use. "How's this?"

"Now we're getting somewhere."

'Left hand pink. Right foot black. Left hand green. Left foot purple.'

Harry was now facing the ground, arms twisted in front of him. The blond wasn't much better off, positioned perpendicularly over the brunet's back, one leg bent so he was almost kneeing the teen in the crotch.

"Watch your knee. I'd rather not lose like that."

"Well, watch your elbow."

"You mean this?" Smirking, Harry bent his elbow just a little, almost knocking himself over in the process. "Is that better, Malfoy?" he asked sweetly.

"I swear to Merlin, Potter, if you don't - eep! - stop that, I'll let go and fall on you, meaning I'd win."

"You wouldn't." Smirk wavering a little, Harry's arm stopped moving.

"I would and you know it."

"Killjoy." Harry pouted, not that the blond could see.

'Right hand black. Left hand pink. Left hand green.'

The game continued, making the duo end up in a variety of positions, from simple to extremely complicated and from innocent to decidedly not so innocent and downright provocative. Finally, both boys were worn out and sweaty, neither wanting to lose. They eventually were stuck in a pose with Harry in a crabwalk-like position, Draco right above him so they were face to face.

"Give up, Malfoy. I'm an expert at this game."

"No, you give up. I won't lose to you."

Then the room decided on another intervention on behalf of the Heir.

'Head orange.'

"What?" both yelled out, wondering where the room had come up with that suggestion.

"Is that even possible?"

"It's your game."

Neither spoke for a moment, both wondering what the other would do. They moved at the same time, heading for the same spot. As they reached the bright orange circle, they cracked heads, sending both falling to the ground with a yell, Harry beneath Draco with the blond situated between his legs.

"Ow, that hurt."

"I won, you know."

"Rematch!"

"When I can move again."

The door, which had appeared about the time the room spoke 'Head orange,' banged open, showing a mildly upset professor.

"What is going on in…? Okay…" Snape blinked in momentary shock. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"You could get him off me. We're both exhausted, messy, and I'm sore."

"Hey, I'm sore too. And it's your fault," the Slytherin whined.

"You didn't have to move the same time I did."

"You shouldn't have moved until you were sure it was okay. It's your own fault for going so fast."

Unknown to them, the game mat had disappeared, and their conversation, which would have been fine had the mat been there, sounded completely inappropriate when taken out of context.

"Draco, when I said fix things…I didn't mean this, you know." Severus finally moved over to the teens, reaching down a hand to his godson to help him up.

"It was a game."

"I don't see it."

"The room," Harry groaned as he stretched out, shirt riding up to reveal his toned abs. "It likes to be mean."

"I'm glad to see you're getting along now."

"A little help, here."

"Fine." Draco bent down, reaching a hand out to clasp one of Harry's. "Baby." He stood up and pulled suddenly, sending the boy careening into him, knocking them both back to the floor, this time with Harry positioned suggestively on Draco.

"Take your teenage hormones elsewhere."

"If that's code for 'Get a room', I hate to tell you this, but, we have a room. You're in it."

"A sense of humor, Potter? How nice. How far did you get?"

"It's on the desk." Harry didn't move but instead made himself comfortable where he was. "You make a good pillow." He squirmed a little before settling down.

"Oh, joy. I've found my one true purpose in life. To be the squishy pillow of Harry Potter."

"I never said you were squishy. You're actually quite hard." Harry kept a straight face when he looked down into silver eyes. "Definitely not soft." He winked at his professor surreptitiously, smirking at the rather red face he was sporting. When the door shut behind him, Harry started laughing as he rolled to the side. "Did you see his face? It was so red."

"You're actually quite mean, you know that?"

"I was supposed to be in Slytherin, remember?"

"How could I forget? The Gryffindor Golden Boy was actually meant to be in the darkest of the four houses."

"Eh, life's weird like that." Groaning, Harry sat up. "Well, that was the best workout I've had in a while, and it was fun. Thanks. I needed that. I don't know about you, but I need a shower."

"I want a bath. I'll be sore tomorrow if I don't relax now."

"It's deal." Harry stood, offering Draco his hand. When the blond gripped it, he pulled just hard enough to make the blond lean against him. "I'll win next time," he murmured before setting the teen upright and walking off. "Coming?" he questioned when he noticed Draco wasn't following him.

Shaken out of a haze, he nodded, quickly catching up to his rival. "Yeah, yeah, hold your pants up."

"That's keep your pants on."

"Whatever." Walking through one of the walls, they ended up in the grand bathroom once more. Not waiting for the other to take his clothes off, Draco picked Harry up and tossed him into the pool, jumping in after him when the teen came up, splashing him the second the black hair broke the surface.

"I have my clothes on," Harry said dryly.

"Well, so you do. How strange, you bathe in your clothes."

"Courtesy of you."

"No thanks needed."

"Ha ha." Stripping out of his now soaking wet clothes, Harry swam to the side to dump them on the marble floor. Smirking, he turned when he heard the blond yelp out in surprise. "Problems?"

"Not really," Draco squeaked, trying to play off his outburst.

"Oh, good. I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable." He knew the silver-eyed teen was probably in shock despite trying to hide it. After all, Harry had just stripped him, thanks to the room, but really that was beside the point. The point was that he had ruffled the Slytherin Ice Prince's feathers.

Slowly, the blond calmed enough to actually look at Harry without blushing. "So…"

"Mmm?" Harry looked up from his search for a washcloth. One appeared over his head and wrung itself out, sending cold water over the teen. "Oh, cold!"

"I didn't do it! Seriously!"

"Stupid room." He yanked the rag from the air and threw it into the water. "Yeah, Malfoy?"

"Think you can talk about your nightmare yet? It might help."

"Not that one. That deals with something I don't talk about. Hell, I don't even like to remember it. Let's just say my life isn't what everyone else thinks it to be."

"The scars?"

"Same thing. They're just the physical reminders of what happened to me."

"You don't want to tell me?"

"The only one who knew was Dumbledore. I didn't even tell Weasley or Granger when we were friends. Snape wasn't supposed to know. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, not that I would. Some things not even a hero can take. I used to wonder if I had a knight in shining armor, before I learned who I was and all. Then, I was the knight. I had to save everyone else. I didn't have anyone to rescue me."

"Um, what's a knight in shining armor?"

"It's from Muggle fairy tales. The knight rescues the princess from the bad guy, or evil witch, or mean, fire-breathing dragon. Then they meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after."

"Romantic, but highly unlikely. Who would go up against a dragon for someone they don't even know?"

"It's just make-believe anyway. There is no knight in shining armor to rescue me from my hell."

Draco felt bad for ruining something that was obviously important to the dark-haired teenager. "You never know. Someone could rush in and pick you up from the ground."

"That's sweep me off my feet. Thanks, Draco."

"Yeah. So what about the other dreams?"

"That's just Voldemort. I have a link through my scar with him. That's why I learned Occlumency. I wanted to stop letting him in. I didn't take it seriously enough and ended up losing my godfather."

"Who?"

"Sirius Black. He was innocent 17 years ago. He wasn't a Death Eater and didn't betray my parents. That was Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail. He betrayed them and when Sirius tried to get him back, he made everyone believe Sirius murdered him by causing an explosion and then escaping as a rat."

"Wow, no wonder my parents still hate Black. They knew the truth."

"End of fifth year, Voldemort sent me a vision of Sirius in danger. I rushed off, not listening to anyone. It was a trick. Voldemort just wanted me to get the prophecy for him. Sirius found out and came to save me." Harry fell quiet, not really sure he could go on.

"How did it happen?"

"He was fighting when a curse from Bellatrix Lestrange hit him, and he fell through the veil. Once you're in, you don't come out."

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like her. I'm guessing you blame yourself."

"Yeah, and Dumbledore. He hadn't let Sirius out at all so it was no wonder he was so ready to get out of Order headquarters."

"Yet another reason I don't like him. So your dreams of him, what are they like?"

"Torture sessions. Murders. Meetings. During the day I can feel his emotions whenever they're particularly strong."

"Sucks to be you."

"No duh. I'd give anything to be someone else. Being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be. People only see the image and never care to find out if it is the real me or not. The newspapers hound me and when I don't comply, print lies about me. I hate it, but there's nothing I can really do about it."

"I can just see it now. The Savior of the Wizarding World told reporters this weekend to 'fuck off' and 'go screw themselves.' Is this a breakdown? Will Harry Potter turn dark? Is this the end to our hero?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, you know. Maybe I should say that to them."

"Oh, good, I've corrupted The Boy Who Lived. All is right with the world again. So, juvenile delinquent Harry, what will you do first?"

"Drown you, for starters."

"Now that's not nice." He looked like he was pouting, but really he was pleased to have brought Harry out of his gloomy mood. "I might cry. You don't want to see that, now do you?"

"Of course not." Harry looked completely innocent…right up until he pounced. Giggling, though he'd deny it, he yelped when he felt strong hands feel up his sides. He squealed and was summarily upended as Draco pinned him underwater. It felt wrong to struggle against the stronger teen. He lightly gripped the flexing biceps and squeezed a little, feeling the muscles tense as he was brought above water.

"Do you yield?" Draco said in a teasing manner, smiling a bit.

Dazed green eyes fought to clear as Harry came back to his sense. He nodded almost meekly in reply, not sure why he was acting like he was. He just felt it was wrong to argue with the blond, or for that matter, anyone else. He was glad Draco didn't notice his weird behavior. He snapped out of it as the Slytherin let go of him, moving away as quickly as he could without seeming obvious about it.

"Good. Now, are you feeling better?"

"Yes…" About some things. "I am. Thanks…but…I don't like being dunked, you know."

"Neither do I." After a moment of silence, a water fight began. Snowballs were thrown, water was splashed, and, once Harry's sense of humor returned, water balloons and squirt guns were added. The war of water finally ended in a tie when Draco imagined a water cannon and Harry had a water bazooka.

"Tie?" Harry finally asked.

"Tie."

"You should smile more, Malfoy."

"Why?"

"It makes you so much hotter."

"Oh." Draco's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Well, then you'll have to make me."

"I can handle that."

"I'd like to see you try."

"I will. Besides, every time I smile, you look like you want to follow."

"I'm not listening."

"I think someone's in denial. Someone with a name starting with D and ending in -raco."

"Wait a minute, I'm not in denial!"

"And said someone is also a little slow in the head."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Am not!" Harry said, with a slight change, wondering if Draco would notice.

"Are too!"

"Okay." Harry smirked. He was subconsciously thanking Bugs Bunny for the trick. Daffy Duck always fell for it.

"Wait a minute…you tricked me!"

"I did? Oh, dear, how shall I make it up to you?"

"Saying sorry might be a good place to start…"

Black lashes fluttered demurely over pretty emeralds as Harry moved closer to the other teen. "I'm sorry, Draco." Tears gathered in viridian eyes as Harry wrapped his arms around the blond's neck. He sniffed, taking in the Slytherin's scent, as he pretended to cry. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Draco practically melted into the brunet's arms. "I guess…if I must." He really couldn't say no to Harry. "But just this one time."

"That means I'll have to find other ways to say sorry then."

"Just don't mess up; then you won't have to apologize."

"But I like the making up part. What fun is there in breaking up if you can't enjoy the making up part?"

"What, we're going out?"

"Not necessarily. Just friends. But when friends fight, they make up, right?"

"Wouldn't know. I don't really have friends."

"You have me, and that's all that matters."

"And, pray tell, why is that?"

"Cause I'm special." Harry moved back, pulling his arms from Draco's neck as he swam off. "Duh…"

"Of course, how could I not know that?"

"Not sure, but maybe it's just you. But that's okay. I like you as you." Smiling in his own way, Harry took off backwards, swimming to the side to grab the washcloth he had thrown away earlier. Humming, he tossed the rag innocently (or not so much so) over his shoulder, hitting the blond (accidentally, of course) in his haste.

"Hey!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Harry grinned at the sight. A soggy washcloth was on the Slytherin's head, drops of water falling down his face. "Oops. My bad. Shall I say sorry again?" Harry swam back to the blond, enveloping him in a closer hug than the first, pressing their chests together tightly as his arms once again laced around the strong shoulders. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to." He pouted prettily as he laid his head on the pale shoulder. "How can I make it up to you?"

"Try by letting him breathe," entered a cool voice.

"Can't you knock?" Harry moved away, missing the pouting look as silver eyes tracked his movements. "What do you want now? Finished reading the translation already?"

"Where would you have me knock when I just had to walk through the wall? As to why I am here, the room provided dinner and I thought you'd want to eat it while it's hot. And no, I'm not done reading. You two translated a lot."

"We work well together, don't we, Drakey?" He latched onto the shocked blond, once more wrapping his arms around the strong shoulders.

Snape looked like his head was going to explode. "How…wonderful for you." He walked out, looking like he still had something to say.

"You really are mean to him."

"Can't help it. Well, you heard the man. Dinner's ready." Smiling brightly, he shoved Draco under water and then headed for the side of the pool. He heard sputtering behind him as he wrapped a towel around his waist. "Coming?"

"Yeah," Draco muttered, climbing out of the pool. He grabbed a towel to dry off, watching as Harry got dressed. The other teen moved closer to him as he wrapped the towel around his waist.

"I didn't want you peeking at me while I got out."

"You're the gay one. I should have been the worried one, what with this fine body and all."

"And so modest too…"

"I don't like being dunked either, Harry. That wasn't nice."

"You'll live…" Harry said, walking close by. He wasn't prepared when Draco pushed him, fully dressed, into the pool. As he came up sputtering, the blond replied to him.

"Yeah, I guess I will. Coming? Dinner will be cold." Smirking, Draco turned and walked off, hips swaying more so than normal, almost like a taunt to Harry.

The Gryffindor tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry as his eyes focused on the jean-clad arse displayed so nicely in the pants.

"And quit staring."

"Can't help it. You did say you were irresistible," Harry said, getting out of the pool a second time. He had the room dry him rather than using a towel. Green eyes almost predatory, Harry stalked after the blond, eager, for food or dessert (wink wink), he wasn't sure.

Yet again, Harry's plate was piled high with food. He plopped into his chair and grabbed the tray, already starting to attempt to eat what the room had given him. Playing Twister had made him hungry. "Revenge will be mine, Draco Malfoy."

"You gave in, so I think not."

"Only cause you were over me."

"Either way, you yielded, so I win and things will stay that way."

"If you two are going to talk about that, go to a different room. I'd rather keep my supper down."

Green and gray met in confusion. "What are you on about, Severus?" Draco asked, wondering what his godfather was talking about.

"I'd rather not hear about your sex life, especially while I'm trying to eat."

"Well, we know where your mind is: in the gutter. We were playing a game and I lost. It isn't our fault you have a one-track mind," said Harry, after swallowing a mouthful of food. "I think someone needs to get laid, and I'm not talking about the 'hormonal teenagers.'" Harry made air quotes for emphasis.

The professor looked shocked. "How did you know about that?"

"You just said it." Harry and Draco both looked confused, but for different reasons.

"No, I didn't. I was thinking it."

"Umm…wild guess?"

"Try again, Potter," Snape said dryly, clearly not amused.

"It came to me in a dream…?"

"The truth. Come on, friends tell friends secrets right? Are we not friends?"

"Hey, cheater. Don't give me the pout. I never could resist a sexy guy pouting."

"Don't change the subject. Now, how did you know what I was thinking?"

"Err…look at the time. Gotta go." Harry jumped up, only to be pinned down in the chair when Draco pounced on him.

"Tell me." Silver eyes had lost their glimmer or mirth and were completely serious. "I don't like being lied to."

Just as before, Harry lost the will to fight. He lay complacently beneath the overpowering Slytherin. "I…"

"Now, Potter." Draco's voice had turned cold and harsh. He had unknowingly used a tone and words that Harry's uncle had used during the sessions of abuse.

Tears rushed into scared green eyes as Harry paled, mind going into a flashback as memories he wanted to repress flooded forward. A soft cry left his lips as he pulled away, trying to escape his memories. "No, Vernon! Please, no! Stop…I'll be good, just please…" His broken whisper stunned Draco, and even Snape, who knew the truth, was surprised at the pleading tone the normally strong teen was using.

Draco realized he had done something to trigger whatever the other teen had nightmares about. He pulled back, eyes darting to his professor when Snape moved forward. The trembling teen below him drew his attention back. Not knowing what else to do, he lay down on top of Harry and wrapped his arms around him, tightening his grip when the brunet tried to fight to get away. Whimpers from the Gryffindor scared him, though he didn't know why. All he knew was that Harry was in pain and was frightened, and he wanted to stop it, to make it go away. He lowered his voice, forcing himself to stay calm, even though he wanted to panic. "Shh, Harry. It's all right. You're safe. Shh…" He made other comforting noises and began rubbing the Gryffindor's back and shaking shoulders.

Slowly, Harry calmed, and he lay still beneath the blond as trembles shook his form, tears nowhere near stopping. Snape stood nearby before turning towards a table with vials on it. He grabbed one and walked back, tapping his godson's shoulder to get his attention. When silver eyes met his, showing fear and concern, he handed the small bottle over. "For you. It's a Calming Potion. He can't have any, and you can't help him if you're upset."

"He needs it."

"He can't have it. His body rejects it because he's too accustomed to it. He's had more Calming and Dreamless Sleep Draughts than anyone else. He can't have either because they don't work. Take it and help him."

"No. If he can deal with it, I can." When Severus looked like he was going to protest, Draco interrupted him, keeping his voice as soft as he could. "No. He needs me as me. Go to sleep. I'll take care of him." As he spoke, his gaze dropped from his professor to his charge. Green eyes had closed, but tears still fell, though silently. No sound came from the teen. Draco shifted to the side, arms still wrapped around the Gryffindor. He curled around the teen protectively, wanting to keep him safe from the world, anything that would hurt him. A tear fell down his cheek in sympathy, and he tightened his arms for a moment before lessening his hold. He shifted again as Snape walked off, bringing walls up for privacy as the chair they were in changed into a bed.

The crystalline tears finally slowed to a stop when Draco's calm voice mellowed into song as the blond hummed quietly. Harry leaned closer, seeking comfort even in his sleep. Just as Draco was falling asleep as well, the teen in his arms shifted and spoke.

"Draco…you awake?"

"Mm-hmm…" He didn't really react to anything more than the fact that Harry was speaking.

"I…thanks."

Moving almost unconsciously, Draco tightened his grip and then did something he never would have done. He ducked his head down, nuzzling against the Gryffindor to comfort him, before placing a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"My uncle beat and raped me for years. Your voice…you sounded like him." Harry's voice was quiet and broken. He didn't look up, but instead huddled closer for the comfort Draco was offering.

For a moment, Draco sat there, stunned at what he had learned. Then it sunk in. "I'll kill them. And Dumbledore. I can't believe he allowed you to go back to that place, even knowing what it was like, what he did to you." His voice was cold and deadly. "You didn't deserve any of this."

"Don't. Don't do anything. It's over and done with and I don't have to go back."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's my fault."

"I'm a telepath. I've been able to read thoughts since before I can remember. I usually have it under control, but I guess with everything…I've lost concentration. I can't tell the difference between words and thoughts when I'm not trying to. That's why I couldn't tell Snape wasn't talking."

"Why didn't you want to tell us?"

"I've seen what happens. Someone's found to be a telepath and suddenly everyone thinks their mind's being read. I don't pry. I've only read a few minds and that was when I couldn't control it or when I lost my temper."

"What am I thinking?"

"Don't make me. It's like reading auras. I learn more and more about what a person's really like."

"What am I thinking?"

"Draco…please, don't…"

"Tell me."

A resigned sign came from the troubled teen. "You're afraid but you're not going to leave me. You want to kill them for hurting me and…" Harry stopped, green eyes confused as he looked up to meet Draco's gaze. "You'd like to share a sunset with me? What?"

"Don't ask me. You're the one reading minds, not me. Ever read a person wrong?"

"Never." His voice was near a whisper. "Why me?"

"Because you deserve the little things. You deserve the best in life, but you've gotten the worst. You're still pure, no matter what's happened to you."

"I'm not pure. I'm dirty, disgusting. I've been abused for my entire life. Weasley and Granger were right to leave me. You should follow them. I'll only bring death and suffering."

"Stop that. I don't care what anyone else has said or done. You're you and if you bring death, then bring it on. I've never done what I've been told to."

Harry was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Draco, I…thanks."

"You're welcome. You can thank me properly later. Sleep, for now. No one can get to you when I'm here."

Tucking his head under Draco's chin, Harry pressed close. "Don't let me go."

"Never."

Relieved, Harry's breathing evened out almost immediately as he fell asleep, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. Draco was left with his thoughts, wondering what he could do to fix the mess he had started. It was obvious the Gryffindor had scars that went far deeper than those on his skin. Asleep, the brunet looked peaceful, like an angel fallen from heaven just for him. He looked like nothing had harmed him, but Draco knew the truth. He knew that Harry had seen more than anyone should, and still managed to keep his innocence, his purity, intact. He carried the weight of the world and all its problems on his shoulders, and stood tall under his burden. Hugging him again, Draco vowed to carry some of the weight and to not let the teen bare the world by himself any longer. Silver eyes closing, Draco held Harry close, even after he fell asleep.

Professor Severus Snape opened the door to the room. Both of his students were fast asleep and, much to his surprised, were still wrapped up in each other's arms. His godson had managed to form a bond with the Boy Who Lived To Not Die and was now one of the last things keeping Harry Potter sane. He walked forward, stopping at the side of the makeshift bed. "We'll talk tomorrow, Draco…Harry. It's past time for it." He pulled the coverlet over the sleeping teens before making his retreat. He fell into a fitful sleep, hoping for a good night's sleep for a change. 'Teenagers…'

The Room of Requirement fell silent, Draco keeping Harry's nightmares at bay. No one expected the visitors that dropped in, making a surprise trip from the Chamber of Secrets.

"Aren't they cute? I knew he was gay," said a strong male voice, loud despite the whisper.

"But he's a sub. You thought he'd be dom." The second voice was a soft hiss, almost like a snake.

"Will you two stop that? Honestly, Helga, you'd think they'd grow out of this after the centuries we've been asleep." Rowena looked to her mate for agreement.

"Leave them be, dear, you know it's their way of showing affection."

"Still you'd think they'd know better."

"Shouldn't you know how to be quiet?" Draco hissed, silver eyes opening in annoyance. "We are trying to sleep."

"Don't take that tone with us, boy. You may be in my house, but that doesn't mean much with that…Gryffindor…streak in you."

Harry sniggered, trying to mask it with a sneeze which only made him giggle more until he finally gave up trying to stay silent and broke out in laughter.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"You…a Gryffindor. That's ironic." Harry grinned as he opened his eyes. "And bloody hilarious."

"Oh haha. I'm glad to see you've regained your sense of humor." Despite his pout, Harry could see the gleam of amusement in the usually cold silver eyes, especially when the teen leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I really am."

"How sweet! Whispering endearments to a lover. You never do that, Godric. Why not?"

"He's not my lover!" Harry shouted, blushing bright red.

"I'm not his lover!" Draco joined Harry indignantly.

"Oh, cute, they think alike. Can you finish each other's sentences too?" Salazar was most definitely not acting as Draco would have thought.

"Sal, calm down. They don't need you being hyperactive this early in the morning," Godric said, trying to calm his mate.

"Am I really related to them?"

"I was wondering the same. And why is my house founder so un-Slytherin-like?"

"Hey, I'll have you know--" the Slytherin House founder started, only to be interrupted by his house's rival.

"That he is very Slytherin-like!"

"And he wants us to finish each other's sentences? Looks like they do it enough for us."

Laughing a little, Harry looked up to watch his relatives. "So, is there a reason you're here at such an ungodly hour of…" He paused to check the time. "Seven a.m.?"

"Well, we know who your mate is and…when you'll find them," Salazar said in a surprisingly serious voice. His attitude had completely changed from what it had been.

Draco moved away from Harry immediately. He hadn't remembered that Harry already had someone for him out there.

"Oh?" Harry asked, already missing Draco's presence near him.

"Yep. Normally, because you have four different types of blood in you, you'd need four different mates, one for each side of you." Godric started, looking to his bonded to continue for him.

"But you are special, or rather, your mate is. Your blood has chosen only one for you. He makes up the other half of each of the different bloodlines."

"Who is it?"

"We can't tell you, Harry, but it is someone here at Hogwarts that you know." It was Rowena who spoke up. "He's in your year, and not in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

"And we all approve of him." Salazar gave his great-grandson a reassuring look.

"And if you didn't hear earlier, you're the submissive," Godric tossed in only to receive a look from his own mate.

"Meaning you'll feel the pull more because you depend on your mate for strength. It is likely he won't notice until it's too late. You'll continue to feel pain until a connection has been made. It's not just a physical touch that's needed. You have to touch their mind with yours." Salazar tried to give a little information to add to what his mate had started.

Seeing Harry's worried look, Godric hurried to reassure him. "This won't start until after you've begun your transformations. You'll feel his presence and instinctively want to go to him. Once you find him, he has to make a claim on you. Rejection, if you've already connected with him, will kill you unless he changes his mind and bonds with you."

"And what part of this is supposed to make me feel better?"

"There's more. You can't tell him that he's your mate. He has to come to you because he wants you or feels the pull, not because you'll die without him. A bond can't come from guilt," Salazar finished up.

"Is there any good news for him?" Draco was indignant.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." Godric brightened up. "First, it won't happen immediately. He'll begin to feel it after his si-er, first transformation happens. Even after he changes, it's likely that unless he has a real need for his mate, he won't feel the pain, just a pull until they connect, or his third transformation happens. He kind of really needs his mate for that one. Beginning that one without a mate could prove fatal."

"Again, how does this make me feel better?"

"Ok…ummm…" Godric pulled the other together as they talked. The four founders gathered in a huddle and began whispering.

Harry rolled his eyes and flopped back to the bed. "Why'd you let go of me, like touching me burned you?" he whispered suddenly, turning green eyes towards the suddenly squirming blond, gaze curious, not accusing.

"Well, you have a mate…I didn't think you'd want me touching you. And besides that, dominant mates are protective of their sub. I'd rather not have your mate thinking I'm challenging him for you."

"I haven't transformed yet, so that doesn't make much difference. And for all we know, you could be my mate. But even if you're not, in this room, it doesn't matter. This room won't allow harm to come to those inside."

"When you put it that way…" Draco lay back down and didn't mind too much when Harry curled up next to him. He really hadn't believed what the other teen had said. He was just looking for a reason to be near the Gryffindor.

"You're warm…"

"Great. First I'm your pillow, and now your heating blanket."

"OK," Godric said as the four broke up. "We'll tell you your last transformation, what you'll become."

"He only agreed because it's his heritage."

"Quiet, Sal. You're just mad because your blood is going to be the hardest on him. My blood is that of an elf."

Harry and Draco stared for a moment in silence. "An elf?" the blond asked, completely astonished.

"I don't believe you. You don't look like an elf," Harry said skeptically.

"Hey, I can't stay in that form all the time. Not to brag or anything, but when I was, people wouldn't stop throwing themselves at me."

"Hmph…"

"Ah, Sal, you know you're the only one that matters."

"Come along, you two. Let's give Harry time to think about this," Helga admonished gently.

"Good luck with my blood, Harry. Those around you should start to feel the effects every time you speak, but I've said too much. Bye," Rowena called as Helga pulled her by the hand.

"You had even more followers than I did," Godric said, trying to reason with his lover.

"So. I knew I only had one mate and that it was you. You could have chosen anyone."

"But I didn't." The other two's voices drifted off as they followed after Rowena and Helga.

"Wow."

"Yeah, and you're related to them. How is that possible?"

The door to the room opened and Snape moved his face around the corner, almost tentatively. "Breakfast, you two."

Harry pulled the covers over his head and clung to Draco. "Too comfy."

"You can come back later."

"Actually, we have training to do. And we need to talk, not just about what's going on either, but the effects."

As he left the room, he saw Draco tugging on the blankets. "Get up. We have stuff to do."

"So go do it," came the muffled reply. "I don' wanna."

"If you don't, I'll have to do something to make you." A movement under the covers led Draco to believe that Harry was shrugging him off. "Get up or else…" Not wanting a repeat of the previous night, he kept his voice light and teasing. A shake and he knew Harry was saying no. Smirking at the silence, he dove forward, darted his hands under the covers, and began tickling the teen mercilessly.

"Draco…stop! I give. I give!" The blanket was pulled out of his loose fingers. "Meanie."

"I win again." A small smile graced pink lips as Draco leaned down. The tension in the room rose sharply as they shared a quiet moment, eyes locked before Draco's gaze trailed down to parted rosy lips. He leaned closer still as he whispered. "I want a prize." Green eyes closed as the blond moved to eliminate the gap. A centimeter apart, the door banged open.

"Mov…!" Professor Snape stared as Draco hurled himself off the bed, eyes wide, cheeks red. Harry's eyes opened in surprise as he felt Draco's comforting weight on him disappear. Before he could even sit up, the blond had darted past his godfather and vanished.

Groaning in defeat, he sat up and glared. "Why?!"

"Why, what?"

"Why couldn't you leave us alone? This close to getting a real kiss." He screamed in frustration and then directed his anger to a productive result. He smirked as he heard his professor yelp and then turned to look at him, amused to see his teacher in a hot pink dress with frilly white lace, black ringlet curls, rosy red lips, and a giant lollypop. "Well, I feel better."

Humming to himself, so softly Snape couldn't hear him, Harry got out of bed, shifting his clothes from pajamas to tight blue jeans and a dark green button-down shirt.

"Change me back."

Almost laughing at the high-pitched girly voice coming from his professor, Harry replied. "No. I think you deserve this. This close, and it's your fault that it was only close, so now you can look like that for a while."

Stomping out, Harry was disappointed, but not surprised, when he didn't see Draco. He was tempted to go after him, but realized the blond was probably upset. As far as he knew, the Slytherin was straight so almost kissing a boy would scare anyone, more so when said boy was said Slytherin's rival and had a mate. He sat at a table, glaring at the journal that really had started the mess. He was close to stabbing it when a strange feeling overcame him. He started humming quietly, suddenly wanted to hear a soft melody in contrast to yelling. Soft words started flowing out, sung to the melody. He was surprised when the door opened and Snape, pink dress and all, exited, staring as though transfixed.

Harry abruptly stopped, wondering why Snape was staring at him. "Fine, all right," he huffed, having the room change him back to the way he was supposed to look. "Happy now?"

Blinking, Snape came out of his trance. He pursed his lips and stomped to his room, wondering what he had been thinking. The door slammed shut in front of him.

"No, you don't. You got me up, so you can't go hiding with your potions. You said you wanted to train and we're going to train." Harry finished his rant, glared, and then brightened immediately. "After breakfast." He sat back down to his tray, a second plate appearing at the table.

Breakfast was eaten in a tense silence. Neither Harry nor Snape said anything the entire time. When they finished, they stood up simultaneously, Harry leading the way to yet another door that had appeared.

"What's this?"

"You did want a training room, didn't you? This particular room won't let any magic out into the school, so everything that happens in here will stay in here."

"Good. What about Draco?"

"I think we should leave him alone for a while. He can always join us after he calms down. Shall we?"

Rolling his eyes at the overdone challenge, Snape removed his robe, tossing it to the side as he readied his wand. "Ready?" When he received a nod, Snape finished. "Let's begin."

Curses, hexes, and spells began flying back and forth across the room, both participants dodging their opponent's spells only to throw others back. Three hours later, the battle finally ceased. Any furniture that had been in the room lay in pieces. There were charred spots on the wall from some nasty curses thrown by Snape. Both participants were utterly exhausted.

"Ow. I don't think my magic has ever been this low. I don't think I could cast a simple Levitation Spell," Harry complained, groaning in pain.

"I think this was almost as bad as one of the Death Eater meetings." Both shaky on their feet, they moved to the door and left the combat area behind. "I'm not doing that again this afternoon."

"Agreed. I'll be lucky to move later. Are we going to work on my other abilities…or talk?"

"We'll see after we finish lunch and rest."

Harry collapsed into his easy chair, Snape falling onto the couch. Two bottles of water appeared, both grabbing and drinking them immediately.

"Lunch?" Two trays appeared with a variety of food for them.

Snape nodded at the teenager, sliding one of the trays toward himself. As he bit into his sandwich, a hole appeared in the ceiling, Draco falling through and into the chair across from Harry.

"Decided to join us, Mr. Malfoy, after skipping our training session?"

Draco stuck his tongue out as a third tray appeared. He glared at his godfather for the comment. "I was busy."

"Doing what, Draco?" Harry inquired, eyes not looking up to meet the blond's while he slowly ate.

"Thinking. Did you just call me Draco?"

"Yes, but if you'd rather I call you Malfoy, I will. I'm too tired to care." He pushed away his tray and curled up in the chair, eyes falling closed.

"What'd you do to him, Sev? He looks dead on his feet!"

"'M not dead," he mumbled from his curled up spot. "Or on my feet."

"Don't mind him. He's just tired from the training. Training you missed might I--" Snape broke off on a yawn, "--add."

"Lucky me. You both look completely drained." He chuckled as the pair threw glares at him.

"If I could move, Malfoy, I'd hex you, but my magic's at zero, so even if I could move, I can't curse you."

"Want me to feed you?" Draco expected Harry to rise to the bait, but was instead shocked when he didn't.

"Yes, and since you offered, you have to."

"But…but…"

"No buts. Feed me." Harry leaned on his hand as he stretched over the chair horizontally, propped up on the armrest, looking for the world like a lazy cat.

"Sev…" Draco whined.

"Don't look at me. You said it, now either give in or fight back."

Silver eyes landed on Harry's exhausted form, knowing the other teen wasn't up to a fight and that he would win, hands down. Sighing, he moved his chair over, grabbing the bowl of grapes from the Gryffindor's tray as he settled next to him. "Open," he said quietly, pleased when Harry opened his eyes in surprise even as he followed the soft command. He set the grape against Harry's plush bottom lip, guiding it into his mouth. He watched in silence as Harry chewed slowly, eyes fixed onto his.

"I was teasing, you know."

"But I wasn't, and I always keep my word." He offered a second grape and froze in place when his finger brushed against Harry's lip. He waited with bated breath as the grape disappeared, rosy lips brushing against his finger again as they closed.

"Ahem," Snape coughed, gaining the attention of the two teenagers. "Are you quite finished?"

Blushing brightly, they broke apart, separating as they sat in their chairs. Harry moved to sit properly, retrieving his bowl from Draco and his tray from the floor. "Thanks," he mumbled, not meeting the blond's intense gaze.

"You're welcome," he whispered back, eyes tracing tan features, bright red in their blush.

"Oh for heaven's…just kiss already. The sexual tension in here is enough to make a saint into a sinner," Snape muttered as he got up. "I'll be back after a bath. Be ready to talk." He smirked as he left his students behind, knowing it was only a matter of time. "Back here in an hour."

Harry was too stunned by his professor's words to come up with a denial. His eyes darted to Draco as the bathroom door shut, flushing when their eyes met before returning his gaze to his tray, slowly eating the rest of his food. Draco was right along with him. Both were embarrassed, but didn't make any denials. As one, they both stood.

"I need a bath too. Snape worked me hard." He flushed when Draco, raised an eyebrow in question. "Not like that! Pervert!" He went to take a step only to have his muscles give out. Headed for the floor, he fell into strong arms as Draco caught him.

"Need a hand?"

"Thanks. I guess I'm more tired that I thought."

"Come on, Boy Wonder, you need to relax." Not bothering to listen to Harry's protests, he carried the Gryffindor into the grand bathroom, glad that Severus had a different room. "Quit squirming or I'll drop you on your arse, no matter how sexy it is."

"I have a sexy arse?"

"Mm-hmm, but that doesn't mean I won't drop you on it--"

"You've been staring at my arse?"

"--and then you'll have a sexy, bruised arse. Oh, and yes." Smirking, Draco set his burden on a chair, stepping back to remove his own clothes as Harry did the same, watching him as discretely as possible.

"Are you staring at me?"

"Nope. You ready to get in?"

"Yes. Are you lying?"

"Of course not." Draco smirked as he helped Harry stand, both hyper aware of the other's nudity for the first time. "Come on, Sev only gave us an hour and you're wasting it." He wrapped his arm around Harry's waist, helping him to the steps leading into the bath. "Get in and soak."

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed as he sank down into the water, leaning against Draco for a moment. "Oh, god," he moaned, eyes closing in ecstasy.

"Um, are you dying?"

He was answered with a groan before Harry actually spoke. "Of pleasure." He moaned again, sinking into the bath until the water was up to his chin.

"Joy. Warn me if you're about to cum." Draco smirked when Harry sputtered, coughing as water went down the wrong way, mouth filling with soap before he spit it out. "Good, now that I've got your attention…"

"I'll say," Harry muttered, leaning back, eyes falling shut yet again. He hissed as his shoulders hit the steps behind him.

"What's wrong?"

"My shoulders."

A pale hand traced over tan shoulders. Draco smirked as Harry jumped. "No wonder. You're insanely tense. You need to relax. Here," he said as he slid onto the steps behind the Gryffindor.

"What are you--?"

"Just sit still. I'm not going to kill you…much." His hands found their place on the muscled back. He pressed hard with his thumbs, pleased when he felt the other teen sag in his arms as the knot he started with began to loosen.

"Oh, god."

"Yes, I am. Just enjoy this. It won't happen again."

"Mmm." Harry couldn't believe it. All the tension in his shoulders, neck, and back was disappearing under the pressure from Draco's fingers. His posture slowly relaxed and leaned into the long fingers working their magic. After a time, the touch softened, becoming almost a caress as Draco traced over pale scars, pleased when Harry didn't move away. The blond didn't think about his motions, he just let his fingertips trace paths over the scarred skin.

"Better?" he whispered eventually, as their skin turned wrinkled from being in the water too long.

"Yeah. I feel great, actually. Thanks, Draco." Harry stood and stretched, shaking out his arms. He dove under water, swimming away a bit before resurfacing. Grinning, he splashed water at Draco.

"You're such a kid."

"I never had a chance to be one, so I enjoy myself now." Harry smiled softly.

"You deserve it. Come on, Severus is probably waiting for us."

"Yeah, yeah." Harry joined the Slytherin at the stairs, surprised when Draco wrapped his arm around his waist with a smirk on his lips.

"Wouldn't want you to fall." When Harry rolled his eyes, Draco's smirk widened. They climbed the stairs, grabbing two of the floating towels to dry off with.

Harry sighed as he felt the soft towel on his skin. Even Draco couldn't find fault. Before either could say a word, the door opened, showing a much more relaxed Potions master.

"Hurry up, you two. You've already gone over the hour mark." He turned and left, shutting the door behind.

Sharing a look, the two teens got dressed, Draco in loose jeans and a T-shirt, Harry in mesh shorts and an over-sized T-shirt. "Come on, before slave driver Snape throws a hissy fit."

Draco was forced to swallow as his mouth filled with saliva at the picture Harry made. The Gryffindor's shirt tipped to the side, displaying one of his shoulders. The shorts displayed his graceful legs, only coming down to mid thigh. Clearing his throat, he tried to take his eyes off the other teen. "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen him so relaxed. I'm surprised. He doesn't relax around many people. Then again, it's you."

"What about me?"

"It's hard not to find peace or to stay calm around you. You just…have this aura around you that puts people at ease."

"Thanks, I think."

They opened the door, walking back out into the main room. Snape was sitting, relaxed in one of the chairs, a mug of Butterbeer in his hands. Draco sat in one of the other chairs. Harry wrapped a blanket around himself before curling up at one end of the couch, eyes shutting almost immediately. He was comfortable and drowsy, especially when a roaring fire appeared against the wall, crackling cheerfully and filling the immediate area with its warmth.

"Don't fall asleep, Potter. You're not getting out of talking that easily."

"Your fault, slave driver," he mumbled from under the covers. Harry poked his head out of the blanket, glaring, but the effect was ruined by his sleepy gaze and rumpled hair. Draco couldn't help but find the look adorable and innocent. "Fine, you have my attention for as long as I can stay awake."

"Tell me about last night, how you knew what I was thinking."

"I'm a telepath. I can read minds and project my thoughts to others."

"Since when?"

"I've been reading minds since I was a child, but I don't think I understood it. Whenever I responded to something unsaid, I'd be punished, called a freak." Harry shrugged. "It wasn't until I was older that I realized I was hearing thoughts. It took me until my third year to realize that I could project as well. Sometimes I would just be sitting there and Granger or Weasley would reply to me. I couldn't figure it out at first. Then I just started trying to send what I was thinking. I've learned to control it since then."

"So, you've been able to read my thoughts?"

Harry seemed to shrink back at the angry tone. "Yes," he finally answered quietly. "But I haven't. Just because I can, doesn't mean I will." Though his voice was quiet, his eyes were angry.

"I never said you did." Snape could tell that the subject was touchy.

"You implied it, which is why I didn't want to say anything." Harry glared before pulling the blanket back over his head to calm down.

"Now you've done it, Sev."

"I didn't say anything."

"From everything we've seen in the past two days, you should know he's sensitive about these things."

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop talking about me as though I'm not here. I've gotten that enough in my life, thanks very much. What's next?"

"Is there anything else about you that you've been hiding?"

"I can see auras. I can see other people's emotions once I tap into them, though I'm not sure I can turn it off at will."

"We can train you on that. Have you ever felt or seen emotions?"

"I think so. I think I turned on Weasley's, but I'm not sure. When I concentrate, his aura looks red, though his first level just shows his power like everyone else. I haven't tried on anyone else. I'd rather get rid of the sight of his emotions.

"All you need to do is pull the feeling in. Doing that will allow you to feel the emotions instead of seeing them. This will also give you control over when you feel it."

"I don't really wanna practice on Weasley."

"Call Draco's emotional aura up."

"What?"

"You're going to use Draco to practice on, now call up his aura."

Pouting, Harry focused his gaze to the blond, calling the first level up. He was greeted with the familiar sight he had told said Slytherin about. "I've got it, but how do you want me to call up the deeper levels?"

"Just concentrate. Remember how you were telling me about Blaise being a romantic. Find that level for me, then push deeper." Draco smiled reassuringly.

Nodding a little, Harry concentrated, focusing on the blond as he called forth the other areas. "Okay, I've got it."

"What is he feeling?"

"It's a light blue. I don't know what that color means. Oh, wait, it's changing to a light pink."

"Now, draw the colors into you. You should be able to tap into his feelings once you take them in."

Green eyes narrowed in concentration, trying to pull the faint pink towards himself. "It's not working. It feels like water falling through my fingers." He nearly jumped when he felt the couch dip as Snape sat beside him, a hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Show me what you see," came the soft command. A mental picture of Draco appeared in his mind, surrounded by shifting colors, a deep green being the most prominent. 'Green with envy, Mr. Potter.' "All right, show me what you've been doing."

'Why would he be jealous?' Harry reached out again, the color falling into his hands once more only to start to slip away. "See?" he asked as the last of the green slipped back to the blond.

"Once you get it in your hands, absorb it before it falls back to him." He watched as Harry followed his directions again. 'I'm touching you and he's not.'

The green flared a little as it touched Harry's hands, pulsing gently in time to Harry's heart as it began to flow into him. The Gryffindor gasped as he felt the blond's emotions. He was indeed jealous. Smiling as the color faded, Harry turned his gaze to his professor. "It worked. I feel what he does." A flash of apprehension raced through him before it was tamped down at the source. "You don't have to worry, Draco. I'm working on it."

"Now that you can feel it, try turning it off."

"Like a light switch?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

Nodding again, Harry pictured the area where Draco's emotions were strongest. Then he pictured a light switch, currently on. Pushing lightly, he flipped it and, like a light being turned off, Draco's emotions disappeared from his mind. Grinning, he flicked the switch again and felt Draco's amusement.

"You think I'm funny?"

"Of course not." Draco couldn't resist grinning.

"I can feel your amusement."

"What, can't turn it off?"

"Already did, but I turned it back on."

"Turn it off, nosy." He glared half-heartedly as Harry grinned.

"Someone's pouting."

"Am not."

"Oh, well darn. And here I was just about to say you look cute when you pout. Never mind then."

"Ahem. Flirt later. Try doing the same to me. You need to be able to do this to more than Draco."

Sobering immediately, Harry turned his surprised gaze to his professor. He nodded slowly before concentrating. He called up the first aura, unsure of whether he should examine it or not. He continued, making a mental note to himself to look at it later. He delved into the deeper levels until he reached the place he needed. A calm blue surrounded the Potions master with bits of red, green, pink, and black flickering in and out. He tried drawing the color towards himself, but it refused to move. He pulled harder, but lost his grip again. "Quit being stubborn," he muttered, tugging at it harder than before. With a yelp, he lost his grip, falling off the couch at the recoil. He landed in a heap of blankets on the floor.

Glaring, Harry sat up, scrambling back onto the couch. He latched onto Snape, concentrating as he growled under his breath. "Come here!" In his mind, he saw his fingers entwined with the Potions master's aura as he pulled at it. He felt Draco's jealousy flare again as he moved closer still. Slowly the blue melted into his fingers until it had left his vision completely, leaving him open to feel the emotions. Harry suddenly relaxed into the couch, overwhelmed with the intense calm that radiated from Snape. A tinge of worry shot through the calm as he let go, eyes fluttering shut as he curled into the blanket.

"Harry?"

"Mm…"

"What…?" Draco was a little worried with the way Harry was acting.

"Well, did you get through?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Why do you look stoned?"

"Because, unlike you, Draco, his emotions don't flash back and forth like strobe lights on speed. He's actually calm. I don't think I've ever been so at ease."

"Oh, so you can't relax around me?"

"Draco, I can't erase six years of animosity overnight. Can't you tell I already have relaxed around you?" It was true—he couldn't get rid of the anger that had been between the Slytherin and himself so quickly. Snape had been the same way, however the intense calm radiating from him had brought Harry to complete relaxation though he hadn't meant to. He was trying not to worry, but he could feel the blond's sorrow. "I'm trying. I feel more at ease around you, and I know I don't have to worry."

"Can you turn my aura off?"

Looking back at his professor, Harry tried the same trick he had with Draco, but the switch refused to move. No matter how hard he pushed at the switch, it stayed on. He shook his head in response. "It's stuck."

"Try something else."

Green eyes narrowed as Harry started thinking. Finally he decided. Slowly, the feelings faded until they disappeared. He grinned. "It worked."

"What did you do?"

"Just pictured your emotions as the sun and then watched it set. Your feelings slowly faded with the light."

"And can you turn it back on?"

Just as before, Harry pictured the sun, only this time, it was rising, and just as before, Snape's emotions slowly filtered back in, still as calm as before, though a tinge of pride was added, partially hidden, as if the Potions master was trying to bury it. Leaving the emotions alone, he turned his attention back to his teacher. "Yeah, I can feel them again. Draco, quit pouting. With the way your emotions bounce around, I'm surprised I don't have a headache yet." Sighing, he got up, walked to the blond, and sat on his lap, pleased when he felt shock from both Slytherins. "Better?"

"Potter…Harry, I want you to leave this sense on. Start pulling in everyone's emotions. Yes, even Weasley's and Granger's. It might come in handy, and in any case, you'll get rid of the red aura you've been seeing. I think it'd be best if you start with Dumbledore and the other professors, then move to the students. Go a little at a time so you can get used to each person. You'll be able to tell who each emotion belongs to."

"But I don't want to know what everyone is feeling. I don't think I'll be able to handle it."

"Try fading the feelings. If it works, you'll be able to feel only strong emotions."

"How do I know if it works?" Harry asked as he pushed the emotions from both men to the back of his mind until he couldn't feel anything. If he closed his eyes, he could still see two pale lights in the distance.

"One of us needs to have a strong emotion." After a moment of consideration, Snape smirked. 'Harry, I'm going to hug you.'

'What?!'

'Just watch.'

Before Harry could protest, Snape was across the room, pulling the Gryffindor off of Draco's lap and into his arms. Instantly, Harry was hit with a tidal wave of jealousy and anger. He was snatched back to his seat on the Slytherin's lap, pale arms wrapping around his waist to prevent his godfather from repeating his action. 'Point taken.'

"Draco…" He felt the blond shake his head against him. "You can let go now." He felt another shake even as the strong emotions began to fade. "No, he's not a pervert. He was proving a point." He blushed when he felt surprise from the blond. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. He was trying to make you really mad so we could see if I could feel your strong emotions. No worries about that. I read you loud and clear." He placed a sweet kiss on Draco's cheek before turning to glare lightly at his teacher. "And you—who said you could hug me?"

"It worked, didn't it?"

Harry was pacified when he felt embarrassment and regret coming from his professor once he adjusted the emotions to the front again. "I guess I can forgive you. And, Draco, let go. I'll stay put. At least loosen up; I'm gonna have bruises." When Draco did nothing, Harry started squirming around, trying to get the blond to loosen his grip. It didn't work. He did however feel a spark of pleasure shoot through him, making his face heat up, stilling his movements immediately.

Coughing, he avoided eye contact with an amused professor, not that he looked amused, but Harry could feel it. He did the only thing he could. He stuck his tongue out and pouted.

"Now who's pouting?"

"I have every right, so there. And will you let up?"

"No."

"I think that's enough for today. Harry, tomorrow things have to go back to normal for the three of us. We have to appear to still hate you."

"The last thing we need is the Gryffindors knowing about us, or rather, this whole situation and me."

"Remember what I said. Start with Dumbledore and the staff, then move through the students."

"Why was it so hard to pull your emotions away?"

"I was holding on to them. I knew it was coming so instead of just allowing you to take it, I made you fight for it. This will help you if someone else's aura refuses to come to you."

Harry stood, or rather, tried to. Draco refused to let go of him. He sighed, resigned to staying put until the blond decided to let him go, which apparently wasn't anytime soon. He watched as Snape nodded before he returned to his lab, shutting the door, leaving them their privacy.

"He's gone now."

"Yeah."

"So he's not going to make wide, crazy, passionate love me in front of you while you sit helplessly by and are forced to watch." Harry grinned as Draco almost growled, but squealed when he felt the arms around him tighten even more. "Draco…" he whimpered.

Immediately, the blond loosened his grip. "Sorry," he mumbled, feeling ashamed of his actions.

"No worries. My ribs are just tender from this summer."

Draco turned the Gryffindor around to look at him, silver eyes drifting over tan features, as if he was committing everything to memory. "I don't want things to go back to normal. I don't want to hate you again. I don't want to."

"We won't hate each other. I know it'll just be a mask, that you really do like me."

"Wherever did you get an idea like that?"

"Well, the fact that you refuse to let me go might be a hint. Or, the fact that you flare with jealousy every time your godfather touches me. Or, the fact that when I've had a nightmare or something, you've held me close."

"And your point is?"

"Prat. Just admit that you like me."

"Fine…I like you. Happy now?"

Harry smiled and pecked Draco on the cheek with a soft kiss, barely touching him. He was graced with the blond's embarrassment but hidden beneath it was pleasure.

"Ewwy, boy germs," the Slytherin groaned, glaring playfully until he was glomped by the green-eyed Gryffindor.

"I knew it. I knew you liked me, Draco. Like I said, things won't go back to how they were." He smiled as the arms around him loosened until they were surrounding him lightly. "Don't worry about Snape and me. Besides, I think he already likes someone else."

"What? Who is it?"

"Well, I'm not even sure he likes someone, but when I saw his aura, before pulling it in, it had a little pink in it for affection, but it wasn't directed at either of us."

"So he has a crush on someone? Severus? My godfather?"

"Yeah. I think so. But leave him be about it. He'll probably turn away from any feelings if he knows we know. I'll keep my eyes on him. Maybe I'll find out who he likes and then we can play Cupid."

"You're such a bad boy, interfering with people's love lives. And you're plotting against him, no less. You really should be in Slytherin."

"Once I get this emotion thing under control, I'll do a read on Slytherin to see if they're open to me. I don't want to change houses if I'm gonna be killed in my sleep."

"So the teachers, then Slytherins?"

"Then Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. I think I'd like to know if they're plotting against me. Ravenclaw is the only neutral house. I'll save them for last." He suddenly squeaked as a lone finger ran up his chest. "Draco!"

"Problem, Harry?" he murmured quietly into the Gryffindor's ear, warm breath sending chills down the teen's back.

"N-no. Of course not." He wiggled again before snuggling back into the Slytherin. "You really do make a good pillow." Harry wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders as his gaze fell to the fire, watching the flames dance.

"And a blanket," he quipped back, unwrapping the Slytherin quilt from around the teen. He shushed Harry's protests as he brought the comforter around the both of them. "See? Aren't you warmer now?"

"Much. You're so good to me, Draco. So sweet and adorable and cute and…"

"No more. I'm devilishly handsome, amazingly sexy. Not cute, not adorable, not sweet…"

"Yes, you are. You are everything I said and what you said. But also pretty and gorgeous and drop-dead sexy."

"I said sexy."

"I'm emphasizing cause you're double sexy."

"Again, I'm not pretty or gorgeous."

"They mean aesthetically pleasing, so if you're not pretty and gorgeous, can you be sexy or handsome? Nope. But above all, you're beautiful." Harry couldn't help but be pleased when he felt Draco flush with embarrassment and pleasure. "And I'm not lying. You really are."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're pretty, beautiful, gorgeous…everything you said about me times ten."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh. You have no idea how…how…effeminate you are. Blaise has told me several times he'd shag you in an instant, given the chance. I swear you had a fan club of worshiping girls twice as big as mine before you came out of the closet. Now you have every guy watching you, even the straight ones. You don't know how many times I've wanted to hex the Weasel for staring at you."

"Ron?"

"Yeah. I don't care if he claims to hate gays; he's completely lusting after you. For once, I actually like the Weasley twins."

"Why…?"

"Have you not noticed?" When he was answered with a blank stare, he smirked as he remembered exactly why he needed to thank the twins. "I did something that was very un-Slytherin like…or perhaps only too Slytherin-like."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

"Well, I'd been planning on including you in it until the term started and you weren't part of the trio any longer."

"Draco…" Harry whined, curiosity taking over.

"I approached the twins on our first trip to Hogsmeade. Their shop intrigued me, so I went in. At first they weren't too happy to see me…but after I had a conversation with them, they seemed to warm up a lot. I told them I required their assistance in playing a trick on their brother. They didn't want to help until I told them he was being a right bastard to you for being gay. They were only too willing to assist me in my revenge."

"What do you have them doing for you?"

"They needed a test subject for their new products. They agreed that their brother was the perfect target. All I have to do is report what happens. They want to know if what they send works."

"You're horrible." Even though he was trying to reproach the blond, a smile broke out despite his efforts to try and hide it. "I thought you said you didn't know I was gay?" he said, remembering their first conversation in the bath.

"Oops. What can I say? I forgot about this until now. I haven't been in the Great Hall to see the festivities for the past two days, and the twins haven't sent anything for a bit. Besides, it didn't seem really important."

"So you knew I was gay but pretended you didn't?"

"Pretty much, yeah. But I didn't care when I found out, and I still don't care now. Truthfully, I had assumed it about you way before you came out."

"Oh, hush. You shouldn't have lied. I think you deserve the silent treatment."

"No, Harry, don't do that. I'm sorry, okay?" Draco was pouting, trying to play it off, but he really was distressed.

"You'll have to make it up to me."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. You'll have to make it up by doing something for me."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but when I figure it out, I'll tell you."

"Yeah, yeah. You do that."

The pair grew quiet as they watched the fire. Snape came through a couple of times, pretending to be doing something. Harry told the blond that the Potions master was spying on them. Draco wasn't amused, but Harry was. He found it funny that their cold professor was waiting to see them finally kiss.

Wrapped up in Draco's arms, curled up under a blanket in front of a fire, Harry became drowsy, eyes drooping closed as he sighed in comfort.

"Don't fall asleep on me."

"Comfy…don' wanna move."

"Just don't fall asleep."

"But, I wanna fall 'sleep."

Draco finally smiled indulgently. He shifted Harry around until the Gryffindor was curled upon his lap like an overgrown kitten. He almost chuckled at the mental image he conjured of Harry with a tail and cat ears.

"What's s'funny?" he mumbled.

"Nothing." The Slytherin decided to placate the boy by running his fingers through the black locks and down to his neck. He almost jumped when he heard something from the other teen that sounded suspiciously like a purr. When his hand stilled, he swore the Gryffindor meowed. He grinned again as he brushed his fingers through the still slightly damp, silky, black waves.

"Glad I 'muse you." Harry let out a huge yawn and stretched out like a cat before curling back up on Draco's lap. "Keep that up and I'll be 'sleep right here," he mumbled, trying to stay awake.

"I don't think I mind anymore. Go ahead and sleep."

"Be here tomorrow?"

"I'll be here to wake you up. How does that sound?"

"Mm-hmm." Harry's breathing was already slowing and becoming regular and even.

"Sleep. Don't worry about tomorrow. We'll get though it together."

"You know, if someone saw you like this, they'd almost believe you care for him. But of course, that can't be. Or has Draco Malfoy finally fallen for someone other than himself?"

"And you, Severus? Faking concern for him? Or is it genuine?"

"I think we both know the truth, Draco. He's gotten to both of us."

"Yeah, but is that a bad thing?"

"No, I think he'll be good for us. He's what we both need."

"Yeah. But he needs us too. I don't think he could have gone through this thing alone." Draco turned his gaze back to the slumbering teen. He was faintly purring as Draco's fingers threaded through his hair and gently traced light touches over his neck.

"Is he your pet now, Draco? An overgrown feline for you to pamper, perhaps?"

"You don't think he'll be turning into a cat, do you?"

"No, I have a hunch on the first one, but only a hunch. I'll be watching him this week to see if there are any visible changes. If he is what I think he is, there will be a few obvious differences with his looks and a few that aren't so obvious."

"How do you know already?"

"Something that happened earlier. I'll have to do a little research. Watch him for yourself. You may figure it out as well."

"Spoilsport." Draco smiled softly even through his pout. "How will we talk to him? No one can know we don't hate him."

"We'll just have to play it by ear. I'll most likely give him a detention so we can talk without worry. We can't exactly come to his room every night. We'll work it out, Draco. Don't worry—you'll still get to stare at each other."

"Sev!"

"It's true, and you know it. Don't bother trying to deny it."

"I'm not going to start a relationship when he has someone out there for him. His mate, remember?"

"Don't push him away, Draco. Let things happen." After receiving a nod, Severus stood, looking down at his godson. "Put him to bed, then get some rest yourself. As much as you may not like it, you still have classes tomorrow."

"Night, Sev." Draco stood slowly, Harry curled up in his arms. The Gryffindor was so small and fragile compared to even him. Nodding at his godfather, Draco walked off, putting the black-haired boy to bed before joining him. He didn't protest when Harry curled up against him, just wrapped his arms around him and followed him to sleep.


	3. A Temporary Death

**Behind Green Eyes**

Disclaimer: I don't own H.P. nor any characters. If I did, the story line would probably be a little different, so yeah. I'm not making any money off of this story nor do I plan to try.

Chapter Three: A Temporary Death

"Mr. Potter."

Harry slowly moved his head from its place on his arms. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night and it was wearing on him. "Yes Professor?" He figured he should be used to sleepless nights, but after Friday and Saturday's rest, getting up today after last night's restless sleep was torture. He had been peaceful for awhile before a new nightmare took over. He had jolted awake, bringing Draco with him. The Slytherin had held him close until he had calmed enough to fake sleep. When he had felt the blonde fall asleep, Harry had opened his eyes and watched him. His latest nightmare had been like nothing he had seen before. It confused him until he realized why he had been so filled with terror.

Green eyes focused on platinum locks, Harry had tried to push the emotion aside. He was afraid of losing Draco Malfoy. Seeing him lying there on the bed next to him, Harry had realized he had become attached to his formal rival. He was terrified the Slytherin would wise up and leave him, just as his parents, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, and so many others had. He was waiting for the inevitable. In his dream, he and Draco had been sitting in silence, watching the sunset together, just as the blonde had wanted. He had turned to speak to the Slytherin, but Draco had vanished. Looking around, he saw a shadowed figure coming between them. Draco was being pushed back, further and further away until he disappeared, leaving Harry with the shadowed Stranger.

The male silhouette had turned and advanced on him. Harry was pinned against the ground and lay docilely beneath the bigger male. His body refused to fight, but his mind screamed in fury. The unknown male tried ripping his clothes off, his intent clear. The shadow cleared, revealing Vernon. Draco was suddenly there again, fighting, trying to move Harry's uncle. Harry closed his eyes as he heard a sickening snap.

"Look boy. That's what happens to anyone who cares for you."

Draco lay lifeless a few feet away, blonde hair around him like a halo, silver eyes staring lifelessly at him, almost accusingly.

Harry shook his head to get rid of the memory as Professor Flitwik spoke again. "Would you perform the lock jaw charm please?" Nodding, Harry randomly picked his mark, whispered the spell, and flicked his wand. Immediately, the other student's jaw locked, lips frozen shut.

"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor. Now, do you know the counter spell?"

"It's a silent spell. If you're hit with it, you can't exactly speak a counter. Finite Incantum would work if the silenced witch or wizard was powerful enough, however the spell to release the speaker is Verbal Solvo."

"Bravo. Ten points to Gryffindor," Flitwik said before moving to a different student, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

The Gryffindor laid his head down again, slipping back into his thoughts. He was tempted to push the blonde away, not wanting anything to happen to him. He really did fear Draco leaving him, however he was more afraid of the Slytherin being hurt or killed because of him. Sighing at his indecision, he packed his things up, heading for the dungeons for Double Potions. He was looking forward to it for a change.

"Watch it Potter," came a cold voice as Harry fell to the ground. Glancing up, Harry was greeted with the sight of Ron Weasley and a gang of other Gryffindors that now hated him. Harry figured now would be a good time to get rid of the red aura around his former friend, and easily pulled in into himself. He was instantly hit with anger and hatred all directed towards him and below that, the lust Draco had spoken of. Wincing, he pushed back the feelings until he could barely feel them. He slowly got up, regretting his decision to pull Ron's emotions so soon after he had done the same to the staff. That had been interesting.

Dumbledore had actually had the most anger out of the Professors. He was practically brimming with the desire to let it all out. The other Professors weren't as focused in their emotions and were much calmer, though none so much as Snape. He radiated calm and relaxation. Yet again, Harry had almost been overpowered by the urge to just lie down and sleep, to let everyone else worry about life. Draco had also been pretty calm, with only little flares of emotions rushing to the front. As the bell rang, Harry groaned. He was late for Potions. He quickened his pace a bit as he felt apprehension and worry from both Slytherins. Sighing at the inevitable, Harry opened the door, stepping into the quiet dungeon.

"Ah, nice of you to join us Potter."

"Sorry Professor. I-"

"Silence! Detention this evening. Sit down and begin the list of potions assigned to you.

Harry had to hide a grin as he sat down. He felt relief from broth Draco and Snape, though the Potions master was trying to hide it. Harry ended up in the back corner, focusing on his work. He chose a romance potion from the list. If taken, inhibitions would be erased, leaving the drinker completely open to repressed feelings. He couldn't help but wonder how the blonde Slytherin would react to it.

Feeling a push against his mind, green eyes raised to look for the source without drawing attention to himself. Emerald met obsidian, and this time, Harry couldn't quite hide his grin as he began projecting to Snape, receiving answers the same way.

_'Why were you late?'_

_'Weasley. He seemed to find it amusing to push me aside.'_

_'Three turns counter clockwise. So it wasn't anything serious then?'_

_'Define serious. Thanks.'_

_'Violent.'_

_'No more than usual. His emotions are a bit…intense though.'_

_'You've already started drawing in students?'_

_'Yeah, the other Professors were nothing. Except for Dumbledore. Don't be alarmed if his head explodes sometime soon.'_

_'What? Add four crushed lacewings.'_

_'Thanks. He's filled with so much rage. I wouldn't be too surprised if he keeled over. Either that or started hexing and cursing anything that moves.'_

_'So he's as volatile as the Dark Lord?'_

_'More so I think.' _Harry quickly put out the fire as he added one of the final ingredients without Snape reminding him.

_'Beware of him then.'_

_'I haven't trusted him for years. Oh, wait, Draco's trying to get a hold of me.'_

_'Harry?'_

_'Yes Draco?'_

_'Why…?'_

_'Weasley. He delayed me a little. Hang on. Snape's on my other line. I'm gonna see if I can three-way us.'_

_'Say what?'_

_'Never mind.' _Signing aloud as he made five clockwise stirs before cutting through the middle of his potion, Harry tried to form a temporary link between Snape and Draco. When that failed, he formed the connection in his mind.

_'Can you hear me now?'_

_'Yes,' _came the reply in his mind from both Slytherins.

_'Goooood.'_

_'Draco will be joining you in detention. We have things to discuss about Friday night…'_

_'Do we have to? Can't I just clean cauldrons or something?' _Harry's whine was evident even in his mind as bottled his potion and began cleaning up.

_'No. Because it wasn't your fault you were late, the detention isn't real. Besides, do you really want to clean cauldrons?'_

_'So if it's not real, I don't have to come.'_

_'Harry, I'd almost think you don't want to see me.'_

_'Didn't you get enough of me over the weekend?'_

_'Nope.'_

_'I don't want to hear about your adolescent sexcapades.'_

_'And your mind is still in the gutter Snape.'_

_'Be here at seven Potter.'_

_'Aye aye mon capitaine.'_

_'Twit,' _Draco said, and though Harry couldn't see the smile, he could hear it.

_'Prat,'_ Harry returned before disconnecting the link. He sighed, already bored with nothing to do. He really didn't know why he had picked the quickest potion in the set on the first day. Snape had assigned each person a list of potions ranging from quick and easy, to very complicated and time consuming. He still had another hour before class was over and he was already slipping into boredom. He grabbed a sketch pad, eyes scanning the room until they landed on his target. His hand began to move, slow at first, until he fell into his rhythm. The charcoal pencil began to fly over the page, green eyes straying more and more to his subject. He was thankful the other teen wasn't moving, having chosen a quick potion as well.

He felt eyes on him, tracking his movements. Feigning nonchalance, his gaze moved around the room, trying to find out who was staring at him. His gaze landed on the Gryffindor side. Several of them had finished as well. His eyes landed on the Gryffindor Golden Boy. Harry Potter. The teen looked like he was concentrating furiously on whatever was in front of him. Suddenly, those shocking green eyes darted up and focused on him.

Busted. Harry's model had caught his gaze finally during one of the times he looked up. Blaise Zambini's cool brown eyes locked with his own, keeping him pinned for a moment. His hand hadn't stopped moving however, continuing his sketch of the handsome Italian Slytherin. His movements stopped as Zambini's deep brown eyes began to track his hand motions. He decided to continue though, to hell what the Slytherin teen thought, and resumed his sketching as his gaze returned to the drawing. As he finished, he looked up again, meeting Blaise's continued gaze. Harry knew he shouldn't, but he did anyway. Going back to his sketch, he tried to call his aura without looking. He had gone below the first level with Blaise before, so he already knew what it looked like. He glanced up again, surprised to find Blaise still watching him. Suddenly feeling immature, he stuck his tongue out like a three year old.

_He stuck his tongue out? What the-_ Doing the only thing a self respecting Slytherin could do, he stuck his tongue out right back. Those emerald green eyes widened before the teen made a different face. Again, he did the only thing he could, and copied it. This continued on until everyone's favorite potions master stepped into the picture.

"Mr. Zambini, might I ask what you are doing?"

Coughing lightly, the Slytherin had the dignity to look sheepish. "Umm, well you see Professor…" His eyes caught Harry's amused gaze before he made his move. "Granger was making faces at me and I couldn't just let her get away with that, so I started copying her."

"Miss Granger, twenty points from Gryffindor for distracting classmates, and detention with Filch this evening. I refuse to baby-sit two Gryffindors. Mr. Zambini, you'll do well to remember not to stoop to her level."

"Yes Professor."

"But Professor Snape, I wasn't-"

"Five more points from Gryffindor for talking back. Shall I add more detentions as well?"

"No Professor."

Blaise glanced at the black haired Gryffindor. The green eyes had amusement still shining in them with a little surprise. For some reason, he was glad he had managed to surprise the other boy. He smirked a little as Harry picked up his sketch pad, looking at it for a moment before he turned it around, showing it to him. He stared in amazement at the picture. Even from halfway across the room, he could see the detail, so well done. Harry Potter, Gryffindor Golden Boy, had drawn him, and very well at that. His jaw dropped in astonishment which was further when the black-haired boy blushed and snapped the notebook shut, before looking down shyly.

He hadn't meant to show him the picture. He was half-tempted to obliviate Zambini so the Slytherin couldn't talk about it even though he could tell Blaise wouldn't do that. During his face off with the Italian, he had drawn in his aura. Just as he had said, Blaise was sweet, a romantic at heart, and was surprisingly open to befriending Harry himself. Sighing, he looked at his sketchbook cover before opening it. He began thumbing through his work, going over his older sketches. He had started with the Gryffindors, however now they weren't the best subjects. The teachers came next, when he didn't really need to pay attention. He stopped on one with Sirius and Remus. They were looking at an old photo album. They were both laughing at whatever they had done. Harry later learned that they had just played a trick on one of their professors at the time the picture was taken.

He flipped a few more pages, watching as his subjects shifted. He landed on one of Snape. This had been one of his most resent drawings. He had been staring off as Snape explained the Wolfsbane Potion yet again, when his professor had caught his eye. He had given up on explaining and was just working on it. He was more relaxed as he added something else. Harry couldn't resist pulling out his notebook and sketching his teacher. He had finished just as Remus's potion had. He slammed it shut just as Snape turned around, making sure his potions professor didn't see his notebook. He had ended up keeping that picture very well hidden. It showed a different side to the cold, emotionless Potions Master Harry was used to seeing. A side that was coming out more and more when Snape was around him.

The subjects of his art were taken in completely natural settings, much like Collin Creevy and his candid camera pictures. He didn't like poseurs or faked emotions, one of the reasons he was so selective about who or what he drew. He turned to the last page before the one he had just drawn of Blaise. Draco Malfoy lay drawn on the page before him. The Slytherin was actually fast asleep. After his nightmare, Harry had stared at the blonde until he was sure he was asleep before deciding he had to sketch him. He had summoned his pad and pencil and quickly drew the blonde Adonis.

Class dismissed, bringing Harry out of his daze. He scrambled for his stuff and dashed out, wanting to avoid a certain Italian Slytherin who he knew to be looking for him. Not looking back, Harry took off for the kitchens. He didn't feel like sitting anywhere near Ron. Even pushed to the back of his mind, the redhead's emotions were insanely strong and were making him sick. As he passed his former friend, he felt the lust once more. He was thoroughly nauseous by this time, but entered the kitchens anyway. Immediately, he was hit by the scent of lunch, though none of the house elves rushed at him except Dobby.

"Master Harry Potter Sir!"

"Hello Dobby." He didn't bother trying to correct the house elf. Dobby would never call him just Harry.

"What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter Sir?"

"Can I get a plate?"

"Of course. Dobby will be getting your favorites!"

Harry sighed as Dobby rushed off. Dobby would never stop worshipping him. He leaned back against the wall and slid down, coming to rest on the floor. His unofficial house elf returned with a huge platter of food.

"Thanks Dobby."

"So this is where you vanished to."

Green eyes widened as Harry turned his head around, staring at the entrance to the kitchens. Draco Malfoy stood there in all his glory, looking a round a little before coming back to rest on Harry.

"What are you doing in here?"

"I saw you take off like an angel out of hell. Not even Longbottom ran out of Potions that fast."

Tan shoulders lifted in a shrug before Harry grinned. "I just had to get out of there."

"So it's not because you were making faces at Blaise?"

"Not entirely."

"I told you he'd get in your pants if he could."

"Hey, I'll have you know he doesn't just want to shag me! He's genuine and actually open to being friends with me."

"He would still shag you in an instant."

"Draco Malfoy, he's your friend."

"He's competition," Draco muttered low enough that Harry couldn't hear. "So are you, and I won't have him screwing with you. Besides, you have a mate." He plucked an apple off of the forgotten/ignored tray.

"Draco, he could very well be my mate, just like you could, and every other 7th year Slytherin and Ravenclaw male. I'm not going to stop talking to other people just because I have a mate somewhere. I won't cut myself off from friends or potential friends even if I am a bit of a recluse."

"Don't blame me if your mate gets jealous then."

"Nothing happens until Friday anyway, now let me eat, or Dobby will be upset."

"Alright. Scoot over." Draco slid down the wall next to the Gryffindor until he was sitting next to him.

If Harry was surprised, he didn't show it. He just began eating what was on his plate. He kept throwing quick glances at the blonde, smirking a little bit. Draco was jealous that he had been making faces at Blaise, but he was also worried. Harry thought it was so sweet and decided to reward him, but only just before they left.

As they both finished, Harry thanked Dobby and stood, Draco following him as they walked back to the entrance.

"Thanks for caring Draco." Harry smiled before kissing the blonde's cheek and dashing out.

"Harry?!"

"Sorry. Can't be late Draco. See you tonight." Green eyes laughed at the Slytherin as Harry blew a couple kisses back at him. Harry's good mood lasted only until he remembered what class he had. Divination. Why he hadn't dropped the class, he didn't know, though he had actually picked up the talent. According to Professor Trelawny, he had the strongest Third Eye she had ever seen, but Harry doubted he could trust her judgment. He had, however, noticed strange things in the class. Things that Trelawny was actually talking about. He hadn't had very many visions or predictions like she occasionally did, however, as cheesy as it sounded, he was very good at reading the stars and gazing into the crystal ball with real results, not that he told anyone besides Firenze. The centaur had been very helpful in developing his talents. He had ceased paying attention in class, but still attended and put forth the effort when she was standing behind him.

He sighed again as he began the way too long trek to the tower. He had thankfully managed to avoid Sir Cadogen as he trudged up the ladder into the too hot room. He grabbed his usual seat near the back corner so he could watch everyone else in their attempts to "see" the future.

"Ah Mr. Potter," came the whispery voice that annoyed him to no end. "The Third Eye is strong in you today. Gaze into the crystal ball. What do you see?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry followed her instructions. Contrary to what she said, he didn't feel like crystal gazing. He saw a few flashes that reminded him of lightning and went with it. "It's gonna storm," he said dully.

Everyone had been no so subtly watching him. They all turned to the open windows. The sun shown brightly, no clouds in sight. Everyone glared at him, knowing he wasn't taking things seriously.

"Perhaps dear, perhaps." Trelawny moved away slowly, throwing glances back to the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry resisted the urge to flip her the bird and put his head down. He sighed and tried to focus on something besides Draco's emotions. He had refused to tone either of the Slytherin's emotions down. Snape was providing a calming influence to Draco's mood swings, though the young blonde wasn't very loud right now. He just bounced around a lot. Halfway through the class, he was close to slamming his head into the table it was resting on. Hard. Repeatedly. He sent a quick mental image of this to Draco and Snape, wondering if it would work. He saw yellow behind his eyelids and felt surprise from both of them just before he felt the tickle in his mind showing they were directing something to him.

_'You rang?' _Harry loved the Adams family…or was it the Munsters. Either way, Lurch amused him.

_'I do hope you're not going that in real life Harry?'_

_'I'm trying to teach. What do you want?'_

_'Just testing to see if it works over long distances. I'm bored and there's not much else to do in Divination.'_

_'Why are you still in it then?'_

_'I'll see you tonight Potter.'_

_'What a grouch! Oh, yeah, Draco, according to the crystal ball, it's gonna storm soon.'_

_'What a load of rubbish. I'm in the greenhouses and the sky has been clear all day.'_

The wind picked up, an icy touch compared to unusually warm breezes that had been blowing through the room. A flash of lightning appeared followed almost immediately by the rumbling crack of thunder.

_'You were saying?'_ Harry asked in a dry voice. He didn't bother raising his head up from the table. He already knew the class was staring at him. It always happened if something he foresaw came true. That had actually been happening a lot lately, especially when he wasn't concentrating on it.

_'So you're a Seer?'_

_'Don't be daft. Just because I make one prediction that comes true doesn't mean that'll happen every time or that it'll happen ever again for that matter.'_ Harry wasn't sure how Draco would take it if he admitted to having a gifted Third Eye. Firenze had told him to use his gift, but Harry didn't really care if it was going to be snowing all winter or if someone was going to break a nail, which was what a few of his gazings had revealed.

_'If you are, you should use it. There's so much you could learn.'_

_'Like who's gonna break a nail or when I'll be late to class, cause let me tell you, those visions are stupid.'_ Harry cursed his words the moment he thought them, knowing the blond would catch his slip-up.

_'I knew it. Such a liar. So what have you seen?'_

_'Just things. Like this storm, though I wasn't trying when I did that. I wasn't kidding about the nail thing and admittedly, I ended up being early for Potions when I was gonna be late.'_

_'See? So, can you get a vision about Voldie or your mate?'_

_'Hey, I can't just pick what I see, it just come to me.'_

_'Have you ever tried?'_

_'…'_

_'So try.'_

_'Not right now. Trelawny is giving me weird looks.'_

_'You're a real Seer, unlike that hag.'_

_'You realize I'm tuning you out right?'_

_'No you're not cause you're still talking to me aren't you?'_

_'No I'm n-'_ Harry broke off abruptly as a vision from Voldemort broke through his barriers like a hot knife through butter.

_'Harry?'_

_'…'_

_'Harry?'_ Suddenly, Draco was hit with images that didn't make any sense to him. He saw his mother, bowing before a robed man, Crucio being cast on her, angry, beyond murderous, feelings coming from the mystery man. Then it switched off.

_'Get…Snape…now!'_

_'Harry, what-'_

_'I'm gonna link us, but I won't be conscious for much longer. Tell him not to go! He'll understand. Beg if you have to.'_

_'Snape!'_

_'What now you insufferable little-'_

_'Sev!'_

_'Draco?'_

_'Don't go!'_

_'What are you talking about?'_

_'Harry said don't go! Told me to beg if I have to. Then he passed out.'_

_'Why?'_

_'I think he had a vision. I saw flashes of it. Mother was kneeling in front of someone.'_

There was a pause in the conversation as pain raced through Snape's arm. _'He's calling me.'_

_'Don't go Sev, please don't. Harry must have a reason for telling you not to. I know you don't like him, but please, he wouldn't do this unless he had a reason.'_

_'I have to go. You know this.'_

_'I'll follow you if I have to Sev.'_

_'He'll kill you. He'll find out about everything that's happened.'_

_'I know Occlumency.'_

_'Not enough. Stay here.'_

_'Only if you do too. Please.'_

After a moment, Snape conceded. _'Alright. Go get him from class. Take him to his room. I'll be there as soon as class is over.'_

The link was severed as Harry's subconscious realized the conversation was over. Draco took off running, telling Professor Sprout he felt ill as he raced towards the school. He had never run up the stairs of Hogwarts as fast as he did. He climbed the unfamiliar ladder, muttering a thanks to his very annoying guide, Cudoogen or something like that.

"Professor Trelawny."

"Yes?"

"I have to take Potter to Professor Dumbledore."

"Of course."

"Stupefy." He knew it would look suspicious if Harry was unconscious for no apparent reason as he took him out. "Apparently, it's a surprise. I'm just following orders." With a muttered oath, he levitated the boy, making sure to keep his smirk in place as Harry head apparently slammed into the trap door.

"Oops," he said flippantly, all the while thanking the illusion charm he had used. As soon as he exited the room, he took off down the hall, Harry falling gently into his arms. Though he was thankful no one was in the halls, he cursed the Room of Requirement for being so far from the Divination tower. Classes ended just as Draco got to the door. He opened it and dashed inside, the door slamming shut behind him.

Draco set Harry down on the now familiar bed. He quickly cast Enervate, watching as some color entered into the too pale face. "So much trouble." He grabbed a cloth from a nearby table and dipped it in the warm water. He gently brushed at Harry's bangs, sadly watching blood flow sluggishly from his scar. The door opened and shut, Snape quickly walking to the bed.

"Is he still out of it?"

"Yeah, he hasn't moved at all."

"We'll have to wake him up. I need to know why I missed this meeting. My position may be compromised."

"Already is," came the mumbled reply.

"Harry?!"

"Don't shout. I've got the mother of all migraines."

"Lay still idiot." Draco shushed him as he gently brushed the cloth over the famous lightning bolt scar.

"It split again?" Harry asked groggily.

"It's bleeding if that means anything to you."

"It split then. That happens when he's really angry."

"Why did you order me not to go? And how did you know I'd listen?"

"He knows. About you and…" He broke off, glancing at Draco.

"What?"

"Yeah. That's why he was so angry. Your mother's one of his most loyal Death Eaters Draco."

"So?"

"You saw part of it right?" She's the one that told him. She told Voldemort about two very important spies for the Order."

"What? Who are they?"

"Professor Snape of course, and… 

"Potter, don't."

"Your father."

"So you saved Sev, but…"

"Don't finish that sentence Draco," Snape warned.

"You left my father to die! You knew he was a spy and you let him go to that meeting?!"

"Only technically. Not actually though. He's perfectly safe Draco."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked warily.

"That's part of the reason I passed out. The vision took a lot out of me so I didn't have time to warn him the same way as Snape. I actually knew this was coming." He looked sheepish as he glanced at the blonde. "I didn't exactly know what it was or when it was going to happen. I just…guessed. Until this vision and I was proven right."

"So what exactly did you do with him Potter, if it wasn't Lucius at the meeting?"

"Like I said. He was, but wasn't. I've had a doppelganger in his place for a month now. He has been safe the whole time. I knew I'd be able to warn you Snape, but I couldn't warn Lucius in time, so I owled him about a month ago and took care of it then."

"Where is he then?" Snape asked.

"Here." Harry smiled tiredly. "He's here."

"Here?"

"Uh-huh. Been here for a month."

"How is it that Dumbledore doesn't know this?"

"Because Professor, I snuck him in and hid him. In here." A door appeared off to the side as Harry's eyes closed again.

Draco slowly opened the door and peaked in. An entire house seemed crammed inside. He stepped in and walked around. An extensive library sat off in a side room. A potions lab was in another area. He walked into the study and saw his father bent over an ancient book.

"Father…"

The elder blonde looked up sharply, shocked at the sound of his son's voice. "Draco! What are you doing in here?"

"Harry let me in. What are you doing here?"

"Waiting I suppose. Harry told me there'd be trouble, so he gave me the choice. Defect permanently or die. Not a real hard decision."

"You could have told me. As far as I knew, you were completely loyal to the Dark Lord."

"No, and apparently neither are you."

Draco shrugged a bit. "Things change." He was trying not to make a big deal about it.

"Uh-huh, we'll talk. So where it he? I'm guessing whatever he feared has happened."

"Come on, he's sleeping most likely."

"Am not," Harry muttered quietly.

"You should be Potter. I'm tempted to force a Sleeping Potion down your throat."

"Your potions taste horrible though."

"If they tasted good, I'd have every student wanting them."

"So it happened then Harry?"

"Yeah. Old Voldie knows about you and Snape. Courtesy of your wife might I add. The good thing is, he things you're dead. So does the world."

"My will?"

"Has already gone into effect. Draco is now in control of everything and Narcissa gets diddly squat."

"I must thank you one of these days for warning me about her. She would be in control of Draco and his inheritance. I have no doubt now that she would have given everything to the Dark Lord, including my son."

"Just say his name already." Harry huffed, playfully glaring. "The wards have been reset too. No one can get in or out except for Draco and anyone he allows. This includes Voldemort. Your wife has most likely been force apparated out. She has no control over anything. The bundle of documents you had in safe keeping will have been given to someone trustworthy. Narcissa will go to Azkaban and both your name and Snape's will be cleared. Draco won't be under suspicion, so he'll be able to go back to the manner."

"You did think of everything didn't you Harry."

"Someone around here has to, don't they Luc?"

"Brat." Lucius smiled slightly as Harry stuck his tongue out. "Come here." He rolled his eyes as the Gryffindor pushed past the Potions Master to get to him. The blonde enveloped the petite brunette in a strong hug that was equally returned. "Thank you Harry."

"You know I wouldn't let him get you. You're one of the good guys." He grinned as he felt shock from the other Slytherins and jealousy mainly from the younger blonde, though Snape was trying to conceal his. Suddenly, Harry felt the tingle. The room was warning him that someone was coming to the door. "Oh, shit! You have to hide. Now! Someone's coming to my room." No one moved. "Go already!" He pushed Lucius towards his room then shoved Draco and Snape in the same direction. He felt the room changing around him, becoming a small, plain bedroom with a door leading to an equally small and plain bathroom. He smiled wanly at Draco before the door slammed shut and disappeared. He collapsed on the couch just as someone (Dumbledore obviously, no one else came to visit him) knocked. Acting like he had just woken up from a nap, Harry went to the door and opened it.

"Hello Harry."

"Professor Dumbledore? Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't feeling very well so I came in here to rest. I guess I fell asleep."

"It's alright my boy. You have some visitors so it's good luck that you were in here. It is most certainly a surprise for me though. I'll allow them to talk with you. You're dismissed the rest of the day." With that stupid twinkly in his eye, Dumbledore turned and walked off, leaving Harry staring at an empty doorway.

"Barmy old man." Harry turned, the door shutting slowly behind him.

"Can't agree more with you," came that hauntingly familiar voice.

Harry stopped dead. He knew that voice and that he couldn't really be hearing it. "Go away. I won't turn around." The door had stopped before fully closing.

"That's not a way to greet someone back from the dead, though I'm not sure how you knew it was me."

"You're not real."

"Turn around and prove it to yourself."

"I don't have to. People can't come back from the dead."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll just go. Come on Remy."

The door creaked as it opened back up, Harry ever green eyes tearing up as he turned around reluctantly. "Siri? Please be you." His gaze landed on the achingly familiar sight of his godfather. "Oh god," he hasped before promptly fainting.

"I always did affect people like this. Just never though my godson would fall for me too." Sirius grinned as his godson fell into his arms.

"Sirius, can't you be serious?" Remus smiled indulgently at his lover.

"Of course. That's my name after all," the ex-convict said cheekily as he and his lover walked into Harry's room, closing the door behind them. As soon as it was shut, the door locked itself and the room changed back to the way it had been just before the interruption. "Handy that," Sirius muttered, surprised when a door appeared out of thin air and opened, revealing Draco and Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape as the youngest blonde threw open the door and rushed out. (AN: This part isn't supposed to be clear on who's saying what because it's supposed to be confusing, but here's the order. Initials. DM, LM, SS, SB, SS, DM, RL, SB, DM, LM, RL)

"Harry?!"

"Black?!"

"Mutt!"

"Snivellus."

"Wolf."

"Harry?"

"Sirius."

"Malfoy!"

"Harry!"

"Black."

"Snape."

It took Harry disappearing from his godfather's arms to get the adults to stop calling each other names only to start yelling about who took him or whose fault it was that Harry disappeared. In the meantime, Draco vanished as well, letting out a surprised shout as the floor opened up beneath him. His scream made the adults fall silent again before taking up the screaming once more. Draco meanwhile, had landed on a comfy, familiar bed next to a slowly waking Harry.

"Draco…"

"Morning sunshine."

"I had the wildest dream. Sirius showed up with Professor Lupin and then started a yelling match with Snape and Lucius and-"

"Sorry to say that wasn't a dream."

"So…he's really alive?"

"Yeah, I'd say he's alive. Alive and still fighting with Sev and my dad."

"So he didn't care that I disappeared. He must blame me for his death. He's right though. It was my fault."

"Harry, it wasn't your fault and I doubt he blames you. He just hates Slytherins more."

"Yeah, more than he loves me."

Draco knew nothing he said would convince Harry of the truth. He asked the room to knock the Gryffindor out before a door appeared. He stepped through, listening to them shouting at each other. "They're worse than little kids." He sighed before addressing the room. "Would you like to quiet them or shall I?" Immediately silence reigned over the squabbling adults. Though they were still screaming, no sound passed their lips.

"Will you all shut the fuck up already?!" Draco smirked to himself at the astonished looks on the familiar faces. "That's better. Now, can any of you give a good reason for shouting at each other while someone you all claim to care about is unconscious?" When no one even tried to speak, Draco knew he had gotten his answer. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Father, Severus, you two are Slytherins, or rather, were supposedly Slytherins. Your behavior was worse than a bloody Gryffindor's!" Thankfully, both Slytherins had the pride to accept defeat. "And you two," Draco shouted, turning to the two stubborn lions. "You claim to love Harry more than anything, but what do you do the second you see old rivals? You start yelling and shouting and don't even stop after he disappears. He's in his room thinking you two hate him. Frankly, I'm embarrassed to be related to you Cousin. You have no common sense. How do you think he should feel when you come back from the dead and the first thing you do is start a shouting match with old rivals? He should be first on all of your minds, but you were thinking only of your hatred and past grievances. Right now, I don't see how Harry can possible care for you all, but he does. You betrayed that, but you know what the worst thing about it is? He thinks he deserved it." Throwing one last glare at the four thoroughly cowed adults, Draco turned on his heel, marched through the door, and slammed it shut.

The four rivals stood in silence even though the charm had been lifted the moment Draco slammed the door shut. Sirius suddenly collapsed into a chair, his face buried in his hands as the enormity of the situation hit him. "Oh, god," he muttered, voice cracking. "He thinks I hate him Remy."

Remus closed his eyes slowly in a grimace of pain. "No, he thinks _**we**_hate him Paddy." Harry's behavior in Defense now made sense. The young Gryffindor thought he hated him for the death of his lover.

"He blames himself for your death Black," Snape finally said after a few moments of silence. "He thinks you will too. And you Lupin, he thinks you hate him because your lover died and that you blame him as well."

"Shut up Snivellus! Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Siri…" 

"I'm his teacher. I've watched him for seven years now. I know him quite well, more so that you do. He always blames himself, even if things were completely out of his control. If the world ended right this minute, he'd blame himself because there was obviously something he could have done to stop it from happening."

Remus slapped his hand over Sirius's mouth before he could yell in reply. "Snape, Malfoy, I think we should call a truce for Harry's sake. He apparently cares for you. If he can trust you, despite everything that's happened, then so can we. Right Siri?" The last part was said in a low, threatening hiss in the animagus's ear and was answered with a reluctant nod. "Good boy. Can you two agree as well?"

"Now wait just a min-" Snape's eminent rant was abruptly cut off as Lucius copied Remus's move and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"I think we can work that. For Harry. Right Sev?"

Obsidian eyes were rolled before Snape nodded his agreement as well, though reluctantly.

"Excellent. Now I think it's best if you two don't talk to each other unless it's polite," Remus said, indicating Snape and Sirius and the murderous looks they were shooting back and forth. "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all…or something like that." Slowly, the two hands were removed from covering their friend's mouths.

The dark haired Gryffindor threw a glare at his love before marching to the door his godson was behind. No one said a word as they gathered behind Sirius as he slowly opened the door. Inside, Draco was sitting up, propped against the headboard of the bed with a silently sobbing Harry in his lap. It was obvious from the doorway that the blonde was trying to calm him down with little to no success. Harry had his face buried in the crook of Draco's shoulder. He didn't even realize the door had opened.

"He doesn't hate you. Neither does Lupin. And Sev and Dad aren't mad at you either." Harry's reply was muffled, but Draco understood. "No. Did you try to feel it to make sure?" When he felt the Gryffindor shake his head, he smiled softly. "Well, why don't you? You know I wouldn't lie. They're not mad at you and they don't hate you." Cloudy silver eyes glanced up to look at the group clustered at the door. "I'd say they're worried about you. Black and Lupin love you, it's obvious and even Sev is starting to like you, despite how he acts. Do you think he'd put up with your godfather otherwise?"

After a time, Harry's sobs quieted before finally moving his head away from the Slytherin's shoulder. "Thanks Dray. I don't believe you though. They have every reason to hate me."

"No, they don't. But they have do have every reason to love you." Draco smiled as the quiet Gryffindor slipped from his lap only to cuddle against him, his head against his side.

"Do you have to go to class?"

"It's just Ancient Runes. I'm already ahead in there anyway."

"Thanks. I don't want to be alone right now. Not sure what I'd do."

"Sev has a free hour right now and my father's kind of stuck here. Plus you have your surrogate mom and dad."

A small smile graced Harry's pink lips. "So who's who?"

"Black is your mom of course, Lupin your dad. Sev and my dad are your uncles."

"But that would make you my cousin and I don't want that."

"Nah, I'm special like that. I'm just me and you're just you. No labels attached."

"Thank you Draco. I'm glad you're skipping class for me."

Severus chose that moment to interrupt with a small cough. Startled emerald eyes glanced up, widening as they saw who had intervened.

"Harry?" It was Remus who spoke first, drawing the pained gaze of his student and surrogate son. "Can we talk?" He was afraid he would frighten him or worsen the situation.

Slowly, Harry nodded. Draco smiled brightly. "Oh good. Come on Sev, Dad. Let's get some lunch." Draco kissed Harry's cheek before bouncing to the door, grabbing the other two Slytherins and dragging them out, shutting the door behind him. He let go of his "baggage" before turning and glaring at them. "I'm not happy with you two," he said before turning and heading towards a wall. Just before he hit it, a door appeared, leading into a kitchen.

"What are you doing Draco?" Lucius asked his son.

"Cooking."

"Just call a house elf."

"No. I'm giving them time to talk. They need it. Besides, this room would provide the food for us, no matter what it is. No, they need a chance to talk before we can all sit down together. I think we should let them work it out." Draco set to making something. He gathered what he thought he'd need and then started cooking. His father and godfather watched in surprise as a meal began to take shape. The door eventually opened, allowing Remus, Sirius, and a subdued Harry exit. The youngest Gryffindor quickly perched himself on Lucius's lap, leaning back against the eldest blonde.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Sorry about before. I was just surprised."

"It's okay. Besides, Snape was the mean one. But it's okay cause Sirius provoked him. So I can let it slide. So Dray, what's cooking Doc?"

"I have no idea, but it looks and smells good."

"Lovely. Is it done yet?" Though he was subdued, Harry was still himself.

"Almost. So am I to assume you worked things out?"

"Sirius is gonna be good and at least respect my decision to trust you Slytherins."

"Doesn't he know?"

"Know what?"

"What the You-Know-What said first year."

"No. I don't want to give him a heart attack and kill him. He just got back."

"Harry, I doubt anything you can tell me is worse than having to get along with the snakes."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." His smirk was decidedly Slytherin, a fact that worried his godfather a bit. "The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin." He waited. Three…two…Thump! Sirius fainted. "Told you, you didn't want to know," He said cheekily.

"Much as I dislike him, shouldn't we help him up?" Lucius asked, glancing down at the animagus.

"Nah. He'll get up eventually." Remus was the one who answered. "It's the least he deserves." He turned his warm hazel eyes to Lucius before looking at Snape.

"Severus? I know there's nothing that can be done about the past, but can you possibly forgive my actions, if for no one else but Harry?"

"It wasn't you who caused the trouble, just those two. You stood aside and didn't help them."

"I didn't stop them either. It's for that I'm asking forgiveness. I can't apologize for James and Sirius and their actions. It's not up to me."

After a few moments of silence, Snape looked up and met Remus's gaze. "I'll try Lupin. I'll try to leave the past where it belongs. You're forgiven."

"Awe, isn't that cute Sniv-" A silence spell was cast.

"Sirius! I told you no!" Harry's cheer at Remus's apology and Snape's acceptance was ruined. He was angry and had jumped up, casting the spell silently and without a want. "You said you'd try to get along, but you're the one causing trouble. Sna-" Harry cut himself off, glanced at his stunned Potions professor for a moment before continuing. "Severus has forgiven Remus for what he did or didn't do. He's willing to move on for me because I care for Remy, but you can't do the same. Your hatred of someone you've never understood or even tried to get to know is more than your love for me. Until you can move past what happened and accept that what you did to Severus was wrong, you're not my family." Harry had tears in his eyes as he spoke. "I trust Severus with my life. Same for Lucius and Draco. I'm sorry if you can't accept that, I really am, but that's what I feel. I know these two men are good, past actions aside, and Draco is the same. I don't want to lose them because of your hatred. I want you to think about this. Use the Pensive in there to see your behavior for what it was. I'll see you tonight." A door appeared and he pointed to it. "Consider this a final chance. I don't want to lose you, but if you can't grow up and let the past go, I won't have a choice."

Not sure of what else to do, Sirius got up and followed his godson's directions. He didn't have the heart to go against Harry's pleading viridian eyes. Once the door shut, Harry willed it away and stood silently staring at the place it had been.

"Harry?" Draco was the one who broke the silence this time.

"I'm fine Dray. It-it had to be done. I won't have him living on prejudices he had as a kid. It's unfair to everyone around him, not just himself."

"Don't lie." This time it was Severus who spoke up. He stood, then walked past the Gryffindor, grabbing the teen's upper arm and pulling him with him as he walked to the sitting room. He sat the teen down in a chair and then surprisingly, kneeled in front of him. "Harry, why?" he finally asked in a soft voice.

"Because I can. Because it's the truth."

"Go back in there and tell him you changed your mind. As much as I dislike him, he's your godfather, family. I don't want you pushing him away because of me. I can deal with him and his insults."

"But I can't. He's pushing himself away with his actions. I don't think anyone should have to put up with insults and cruel behavior. I know it and you know why. If he can't move past his hatred, then I'll have to move past him. I shouldn't be the reason you feel you have to endure him, but I am. The least I can do is make sure he doesn't give you a hard time about the past. Just remember to keep your temper as well."

"Thank you Harry. Merlin knows I've made your life hell and don't deserve it, but thank you."

"You've saved my life countless times and never treated me special unless it was to take points from Gryffindor. You've been more help than you can ever know." Surprising himself as well as his professor, Harry leaned forward and hugged him, knowing they both needed the comfort.

"Awwe, Sev's gone soft," came Draco's teasing voice.

"Hush Dray or I'll give him all hugs intended for you." Harry grinned at the younger blonde's immediate pout. "Now, where's lunch?"

"In the kitchen, where food usually is."

"Oh, aren't you the smart one?" Harry asked, standing up to allow Severus to get up as well.

"Yes, so glad you finally noticed. Bout time. But what can I expect from someone who's so slow?" Draco teased, smirking as the young Gryffindor pouted.

"Hey Severus, can you give him detention? Dray's being mean to me."

"Well, I suppose so. How does scrubbing the cauldrons sans magic sound?"

"Awe, you're giving my job to him? I'm being replaced." Harry pouted. "Make him scrub the floor without magic."

"Hey!"

"You say something Draco?"

"I spit in yours," he replied cheekily as he set the plates on the table.

"Ewwy, Draco cooties." The mood lifted as Harry laughed and explained what cooties were exactly. Despite the light hearted behavior, Harry was worried about that night and about Sirius.

"Severus, do I still have to have detention in the dungeons?"

"Why?"

"Because Remy and Lucius and Sirius don't know about what's happened. They don't have any idea about the journal or the lot downstairs."

"I suppose we could have your detention up here. It would be easier in the long run. Besides, I don't have any cauldrons for you to clean."

"Oh good, I'm still your favorite detentionee. At least you haven't replaced me."

"Like anyone could," Draco muttered.

Lunch progressed quickly after that. Severus left after promising to bring a few things for that evening. Draco reluctantly left for Transfiguration after his skipped Ancient Runes, saying he'd be back between classes. Remus took the rest of the day off, telling Dumbledore he had to stay with Harry and his friend. Harry ended up sleeping with his head on Lucius's lap and his feet across Remus's. He wasn't awake when Draco visited after Transfiguration, nor was he awake when the Slytherin stopped by after double Care of Magical Creatures. It wasn't until almost dinner time that he awoke. Neither of his make shift pillows had moved during his nap. The ex-Gryffindor and ex-Slytherin had talked a lot while their mutual charge had been asleep.

The youngest member of the ragtag group of outcasts woke up warm, covered in a Slytherin green blanket, and shining silver eyes gazing at him.

"Enjoy your nap sleepy head?" Draco teased, sitting back on his haunches. "Have you been sleeping since I left?"

"Yeah. I was really tired today."

"That might have something to do with Friday Harry." Severus actually leaned over the back of the couch, watching him intently.

"What about Friday cub?"

"Later," he muttered as the door from that morning reappeared. "It's time to see how my family fares." Without saying anything else, Harry got up and walked to the door, opening it, walking through and shutting it with a click.

"What now?"

"Now, we wait Draco. This is something only Harry and his godfather can go through. This will either break them apart or cement their relationship together." Lucius tried to offer his son a smile, but couldn't. He was worried about how Harry would handle a bad ending.

"Sirius?"

"Go away Harry."

"You hate me for siding with Severus then?"

The animagus gave a hollow laugh. "It's you who should hate me. Merlin knows it's the very least I deserve."

"Siri?"

"I came in here knowing I was right, that my actions were justified. Now, Merlin Harry, how can you stand me? I looked back, revisited my memories. I know better. I still can't believe that was me, that I ever acted like that. It's as bad as the Dark Lord and his prejudices."

"Siri, I'm proud of you." Harry finally moved, walking over to sit next to his godfather. "You're finally growing up. I think things will be fine. It might take time, but Severus will forgive you."

"You really trust him?"

"He's been protecting me from the beginning, even if he had an odd way of showing it. Yeah, I trust him."

"So I have to be nice to him?"

"No, but you should try. He's really a good man. You'll see that once you get to know him."

"And if he doesn't forgive me?"

"He will. He doesn't want to live in the past anymore than you do. Besides, he likes me. He was worried you wouldn't be able to get over me trusting him and I would lose you. He really is nice, it's just getting past his prickly outside that's the key."

"Alright Harry. I'll trust you."

"Thank you Siri. I'll bring Severus in here and let you two talk a bit."

"Harry…"

"Sorry, can't hear you over my happiness," Harry said as he skipped to the door before opening it and poking his head out. "Severus, Siri wants to talk to you. Says he has something to tell you."

"I doubt both of us will leave the room alive," the potions master muttered as he entered the room.

"Glad to hear you're optimistic Sevvy. Well, I'll leave you two to it. See ya," Harry chirped before shutting the door behind him, leaving the two enemies alone together.

"Harry?"

"Yeah Remy?"

"Did you just leave Severus Snape and Sirius Black alone in a room, with their wands, and shut the door behind you?"

"Yep."

"Wow, I wasn't hallucinating."

"I told them to behave."

"Like that works," Draco muttered.

"Apparently it does. I haven't heard screams or explosions yet."

"Listen to your dad Dray, I'm right. Besides, they're ready to come out already." As he finished, the door opened, allowing the two calm and rational adults to leave. "So?" Harry asked Severus.

"We've agreed to get along as much as possible, for your sake. He's apologized and I've accepted."

"Siri?"

"Hey, I said sorry and all that. We've both agreed to let the past go. I went as far as asking him about his past to get over my prejudices towards him."

"Good, I'm proud of you both, now we can eat. Then talk. There's a lot that's happened that you don't know about."

"Why haven't you told me yet Harry?" Remus asked, a little hurt to hear two Slytherins knew before he did.

"I only just found out this weekend Remy. Believe me, this is a bit huge."

"Personally, I'm betting they all faint this time."

"Dray, it's not that bad." After a moment of silence in which the blonde gave Harry a look, the Gryffindor conceded defeat. "Okay, you're right. They probably will faint."

"Malfoys do not faint. We would never do something so weak."

"Bet he's the first to go," Harry muttered to the youngest Slytherin.

"I'll see that. A galleon says he doesn't or if he does, he's not the first."

"Deal." Harry smirked evilly.

"Harry?"

"Yes Draco?"

"Do you know something I don't?"

"Yes Draco."

"Figures."

"Harry, eat your food. I want to know what my darling Gryffindor godson is hiding from me."

"Whatever you say Siri."

"You wouldn't be mocking me now would you?"

"Mf forph fot," Harry mumbled through his mouthful of food.

"Translation: Of course not. Heavy on the sarcasm," Lucius said, not looking up from his book.

"It's rude to read at the table _Lucius_."

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full _Harry_. Besides, I'm working on that curse I was telling you about last week. Salazar Slytherin was rumored to have created it for fighting Godric Gryffindor in one of their more heated battles for the school."

"Doubtful, but I can always ask him for you if you'd like. I'm sure Godric would love to hear about it."

For a moment, there was absolute silence as Remus, Sirius, and Lucius processed what was said. Severus closed his eyes in a grimace at the situation, and how it was going to be handled by the Gryffindor. Draco ended up grinning. What a way to start up the conversation, and unintentionally too.

"Harry, I don't mean to question your sanity, but why are you talking about the Founders as if they are alive?" Sirius asked, only slightly worried.

"Cause they are." At a cough from Draco, he corrected himself. "Okay, they're sorta alive." When the blonde cleared his throat, Harry rolled his eyes before just admitting it. "Ok fine, they're paintings hanging up in the Chamber Of Secrets. I am technically the Hair of Slytherin, oh, and I'm related to the Founders." Harry took a bite of his dinner and chewed while Remus, Sirius, and Lucius all process what he had just said. Awkward silence reigned as Harry's two surrogate parents shared a few meaningful looks. Finally, the Gryffindor's godfather spoke.

"Okay…that's not too bad. I haven't fainted yet."

"Yet being the key word. I inherit everything they owned, including Hogwarts, billions of galleons plus sickles and knuts, any magical artifacts, or properties, and a few…extras no one knew about."

"So that means…?" Remus started.

"You're the richest wizard alive," Lucius finished.

"Yep. Richer than you Luc." _'Three…two…one…now.'_ Harry broadcasted his thoughts to everyone and just as he finished his countdown, the prestigious blonde wizard and proud patriarch of the Malfoy family, fainted. "Guess using telepathy without telling them about it was a bit much. Oh well, pay up Dray."

"Yeah, yeah. I've been cheated."

"Don't complain. It's not my fault you walked into that one. Hey Severus, do you think you could revive them? I can't exactly finish telling them about me if they're unconscious, now can I?"

"You could, but it'd be quite useless and you'd have to retell it anyway."

"Was that…did you just make a joke Severus?" the Gryffindor asked, amazed.

"He does have a sense of humor you know, given, it's usually darker and more morbid with sarcasm and cynicism thrown in for flavor," the blonde said as his godfather moved a potion underneath his father's nose. Immediately, the elder blonde woke up coughing.

"Tell me I didn't Severus?"

"You did." The dark haired potions professor had a slight blush on his face as he left his friend's side to revive the two Gryffindors. Harry smirked as a plan began to form in his mind.

As the other two faintees awoke, Severus couldn't resist a slight jab at his long time rival. "What happened to your Gryffindor courage Black, fainting at something small like that."

"Small?"

"Compared to the rest…? Yes, small."

"And you've taken it all calmly?"

"Yes, but believe me, it still was shocking. Now get up and find out the rest of it." Severus stood and walked back to his place beside his blonde friend. Harry had the room change the chairs around the dinner table to couches as the table and dishes disappeared. He curled up next to the younger blonde as he watched Remus and Sirius take one couch, Lucius and Severus taking the other. Harry smirked privately again, his plan beginning to take shape. He couldn't wait to tell Draco.

"Alright, so the next thing about me is that I'm a telepath, if you hadn't guessed with my voice in your head anyway. I can see auras and recently discovered that I can see the emotional aura. I suppose I'm an empath as well because I can feel the emotions after I draw in the aura, which helps, especially if I don't know what a color means."

"So, have you drawn in auras yet?" Remus asked, curious.

"Yeah. Draco, Severus, the other Professors, Weasley, and Blaise. And no Dray, I don't want to hear it."

"What about us?"

"Not yet, but I can. Hey Severus, I managed to grab Blaise's aura from halfway across the Potions dungeon."

"So that's why you were making faces with him?"

"You knew it was me?"

"Of course. I just enjoy putting Granger in her place every one in awhile."

"Anyway, I think it's becoming easier the more I pull in, though it was overwhelming, especially Dumbles and Weasel."

"I'm guessing you're not on good terms with your friends. What happened?" asked Sirius, worried and concerned for his godson.

"I came out of the closet, found out Ron was using me for popularity and Hermione was taking my magic. Both were following Dumblefuck's orders. Pardon my French."

"Forgiven. Should I bite them?"

"No Siri. They both know what you look like so they can tell people you're not dead. Though if Dumbledore knows, then-"

"He doesn't. I was under a Polyjuice type charm or something like that. Remy didn't trust him, for good reason apparently."

"It's his fault you died. Why should I trust the man who helped kill my lover?"

"Remy, calm down. I'm alive and well and no one knows. Well, except for them. But apparently we can trust them, so I say we're fine."

"So why could I see the real you?"

"I don't really know. I didn't release the spell until after the door shut behind us. You fainted into Sirius's arms before that."

"It's possible you can see through spells, or maybe it just has to do with you seeing auras. You know that he is your godfather no matter how he looks," Severus muttered thoughtfully. "What spell did you use?"

"Total cover. Numerus occulto. It's supposed to change even the person's magical signature, though not necessarily their aura."

"But…I recognized his voice. If you didn't take the charm off, how did I hear his voice?"

"Again, it may be you could see through it. It also might be that because you knew his aura, you knew his voice."

"I hadn't turned around when he talked to me though. I hadn't seen him."

"We'll test it. Turn off your sight and close your eyes. We'll use the spell on all of us, and move around. Then, try and pick out who's who without our auras."

Green eyes quickly closed as Harry turned off the auras. He heard the spell being cast a few times and then movement. "Alright Harry, you can look now." It was Sirius who spoke. Following the direction, he opened his eyes, amused at the line up they made. "Sirius, Severus, Lucius, Remus, Draco," he said, going down the line.

"Okay, you can see through spells," Remus shakily said. "That's new."

"Something else for me to perfect, right Severus?"

"You do have a quickly accumulating pile of things to do."

"Not my fault. Anyway…what's after that?"

"Chamber maybe?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks Dray. Anyway, I found the Chamber of Secrets my second year, killed the Basilisk and Tom Riddle/Voldie's journal. Er, first year I beat the teacher's enchantments to get to the Sorcerer's Stone, faced Quirrel who had Voldie on the back of his head, killed him, but Moldieshorts got away."

"Not that! I'm talking about _who's_ in the Chamber and why."

"Oh, fine. I get a little something extra from my great something or other great relatives. See, they weren't er…human." Harry paused for a moment, unsure he could continue, until Draco grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Godric was an elf, but I'm not sure what the others are. According to Salazar's journal, there's a lot we don't know about the Four. My first transformation is supposed to be three months after my seventeenth birthday. That would be Friday, Halloween. I'll be transforming into Rowena's form, but we have no idea what that is."

"Actually, I do."

"Say what?! Severus, when were you going to tell me?" Harry asked, getting up and walking towards him.

"Probably after the fact."

"Great load of help you are."

"I know."

"So what am I gonna be?"

"Sing."

"What?"

"Sing."

"I don't sing. Not even in the shower."

"But you want to."

For a moment, Harry didn't know what to say. Severus was right. He did want to sing, but he was tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune. "Why?" he finally asked his Potions professor.

"Because this will help solve what you are, at least if you are what I think you are."

"Fine, but I don't see the point. I'm tone deaf." He watched as Severus surreptitiously cast a silencing spell around the adults, leaving Draco uncovered, the younger blonde completely clueless. The young Gryffindor closed his eyes, trying to think of something to sing. He started humming without realizing it, the notes forming from nowhere. Draco was immediately caught. He stood slowly as if in a trance. A seductive smile appeared on Harry's lips, though the dark haired teen was unaware of it. Words began filtering out, a call in a sultry language, unknown to anyone in the room but Harry and his captive. His voice rose and fell, luring Draco closer to the one who was calling his heart. The words came to an abrupt halt as the green eyed boy fell silent. The blonde fell immediately from the trance, not knowing what had happened nor how he had gotten from the couch to right behind the Gryffindor.

"See my point?" Can't sing worth shit," he said as his potions master released the silencing spell.

"No, I don't see your point, but mine was proven."

"He's a…"

"But that's…"

Both Remus and Lucius seemed stunned at what they had just found out. Sirius actually looked proud as he finished the sentence his lover had started. "He's a siren."

"I'm not a girl?!"

"First ever male siren in history, recorded anyway. My godson is a siren."

"Hush up. I don't wanna lure women to me with my voice."

"Why would you call women to you?" Remus asked curiously. Obviously something was off.

"Well, normal sirens call men to them. It's only reasonable, me being a guy, that I'd bring women to me."

"I don't think that's how it works," Severus said before nodding his head towards his godson. "It worked on Draco."

"What?!" Harry yelped, spinning around to meet silver eyes. "I-you-but…never mind. Fine. I'm a siren, or will be. I guess I've just started to show signs."

"If this is just a sign, and it's before your transformation, I'm beginning to wonder if every time you speak the same thing will happen."

"But I don't want to have to be mute. Make everyone wear ear plugs or something. I may not talk much lately, but I do speak up occasionally."

"There's no reason to panic. Besides, that's only a possibility. Snape was just voicing his thoughts. It's not likely to happen, _is it_?" Sirius glared at Snape as he tried to reassure his godson.

"No, but even if it does, you'll probably be able to control it. Don't worry about it until then. We'll have all weekend to work things out."

"Wait, does this mean I'll be looking like a girl?!"

"Just means you'll grow longer hair. You're already really effeminate looking now," Draco said teasingly.

"Dray! I don't wanna be a girl."

"Relax cub. Your features will probably become a little softer, your hair longer, and your voice a bit higher. There's nothing to worry about."

"Great, more attention." Harry fell backwards, trusting the blonde to catch him. Draco didn't let him down and caught him easily.

"You really are too light. You need to eat more Skinny."

"Oh, haha, it's not my fault I don't grow and you know it. So there." Harry pouted, especially when the Slytherin picked him up bridal style and sat back down on their love seat. The others laughed easily as they took their seats as well.

"Okay, I'm turning into a Siren on Friday. Then I have Helga's and Salazar's heritage. And then I turn into a bloody elf for Godric's side. Lovely. I have a mate I need for the third transformation or else I stand the chance of dying. I can't guilt my mate into accepting me, so no telling him. He's in Ravenclaw or Slytherin and is in seventh year and I'll meet him soon or already have. There, that's everything I know." Harry randomly ticked off the facts on his fingers as he went, making sure he didn't miss anything.

The elder Malfoy was the first to speak after the young Gryffindor's rant. "Well, I can't say I'm not shocked beyond belief, but I'll manage and won't abandon you." He smiled a little as Sirius and Remus agreed with him. Harry smiled brightly in response as he leaned against his blonde pillow.

The adults around them began talking about everything they had found out. Dumbledore, the Order, Voldemort, and what to do about them came up as well. Harry had slowly been falling asleep when a thought hit him. The Dark Mark.

"Hey, let me try something."

"I thought you were asleep," Lucius said, looking up in surprise.

"Not really, but I just remembered that Voldie can find you two through the Dark Mark. If he tries, he can find out you're not dead."

"There's no way to remove it Harry. I've looked through countless books. The Dark Mark is permanent and only disappears if the caster dies or removes the mark themselves. I highly doubt the Dark Lor-" At Harry's look, Lucius corrected himself. "Voldemort would be happy to take his mark off of a traitor and a dead man."

"I'm not going to remove it, I'm going to change it. It won't be connected to him, but to me." For a moment, there was silence and Harry thought he had offended the two Slytherins. "It's just a suggestion, I mean you don't eep!" He was suddenly grabbed from his perch on Draco and enveloped in the older Malfoy's arms. Severus placed his hand on his shoulder. "Umm, I guess that's a yes?"

"Yes Harry, that's a yes," Severus said quietly. He didn't want anyone hearing his words. "You have no idea what this means for us."

"Yeah, I do. Freedom. Sit back down. I need to be comfortable to concentrate on this." Harry eventually settled with his back against Lucius's chest. He grabbed the blonde's arm and wrapped it around his chest, one hand lying gently on the black tattoo. "Draco, if you don't stop glaring at your father, I'll have to block you," Harry said, eyes close as he began to concentrate. He covered his pain, not even moving when red hot agony burned up through his arm. He felt his mark appearing, though it wouldn't actually mark his skin. He was diverting the pain from Lucius and taking it into himself.

The minutes ticked by, Harry and Lucius remaining frozen where they were. Slowly, Harry let his power fade, pulling it back from the Dark Mark. His green eyes opened eventually and focused on where his hands rested. He had felt the skin shifting beneath his fingers and knew it had worked. He removed his grip and slid off of the blonde's lap, moving to sit next to Severus. He was pulled onto his Potion Professor's lap, the arm with the Dark Mark wrapped around him.

"It worked Harry. My mark is completely different." A blood red Phoenix was in the place of the ugly skull and snake, stretching its wings out, almost as if it was in flight.

"I know. I felt it changing. Let me finish this." He pushed his exhausting to the side, resuming his intense concentration. "Lucius, tone down the jealousy. Now I see where Draco gets it." A ghost of a smirk came to his lips as he saw the blonde blush. His green eyes shut once more as his hands found their place. The process took longer the second time. Voldemort hadn't released his hold on Severus, despite the man being a traitor. He had a fight with the subconscious hold the Dark Lord held over the Potions Master. He finally managed to release Severus's mark and changed it, the actual switch going much faster because he knew what he was doing. Mission complete. Harry smiled before yawning and passing out. He didn't hear the muttered thank you from a man who rarely said the words. Soon after he fell asleep, he was put to bed, the younger blonde next to him. Four other beds appeared, though one remained unused, Sirius crawling in next to his lover seconds after Remus fell asleep.

"Harry?!"

"Mm-sleepin." Harry didn't know or care who was talking, but it sounded like Lucius, again, not like he cared.

"Why are the Founders here?"

"I'm Heir."

"I know that, but why are they not in paintings?"

"Don know, don care. Sleepin."

"They were out before Dad, now let us sleep. Sev, make him go away."

"You two do have classes today. Get up."

"Yes mother," Draco muttered cheekily. He sat up, glaring at the two elder Slytherins who had dared to wake him up. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking over at his bedmate, who happened to be fast asleep once more. "Harry…wake up." When he got no response, Draco grinned mischievously. "Alright, but you leave me no choice." Without warning, the blonde attacked and began tickling the brunette mercilessly.

Harry jumped and squirmed, trying to avoid those tormenting fingers. He finally gave up and opened his eyes, glaring at the evil blonde. "Fine, why don't you just ask them how they got out of their paintings?" he asked, giving Lucius a pointed stare.

"Because they're the Founders. You can't just ask them why."

"Fine. Godric, how did you get out of the paintings?"

"You."

"Okay, explain."

"Your power was just supposed to awaken us, however, you are much stronger than expected. It took time, hence the reason we were still in our paintings the night you woke us, but by the next morning, we were able to come and go however we wanted. That's how we visited you without the use of our paintings and probably why we can do magic, despite what we may have said that night."

"Happy now Luc? Now shoo, both of you so me and Dray can get ready to go. Yes, that includes you two too. Hey, where are Helga and Rowena?" he asked as Severus and Lucius left, leaving them alone with Salazar and Godric.

"They decided to let us visit today. We seem to have been wrong about something," Salazar said with a sigh. "Things are happening at a faster rate than what we predicted. You've discovered that Rowena's heritage is that of a siren. You have begun adapting her changes already. As far as we can tell, it actually began Friday night."

"So, what's that mean for me?" 

"Your voice. Sirens can lure men to their deaths with their singing. Your voice has actually taken on a version of that. You seem to be able to charm people. They find it harder to hate you, though it's still possible, after prolonged exposure to your voice," Salazar finished.

"That explains why Severus and Draco have stopped hating me."

"Wrong Young One. You only have the ability to charm them. If the hatred was real, it would remain. If it is a weak feeling, it easily disappears. It seems neither of your new friends actually hated you." Godric smiled down at the young Gryffindor. "They are true. You just helped them along a bit."

"Good. You said things were happening faster than planned. Will I transform sooner then?" 

"Not this first one, though I advise you to be in the chamber as soon as your classes end. If the others wish to join, there will be a way through this room. Now, about the other side effects. I'd advise you to talk as little as possible outside of here. People may begin to notice if there is a huge gang of people following your every word." Godric couldn't resist a light teasing. "Your other changes were supposed to occur one month apart from each other. Now however, you'll have two weeks between them, except for the last one. That will happen only one week after Sal's blood takes affect."

"Lovely, so I basically have two months of torture."

"Look at it as a life changing experience," Salazar said cheekily.

"Yeah, you can say that again."

"Look at it as a life changing experience." This time, the Slytherin House Founder managed a completely straight face.

"Smart ass," Harry muttered before grinning. "Now scoot. You two woke us up, now let us get ready."

"Bye Harry. We'll see you soon," Godric said as he pulled his mate out of the room through the closed door. The two students heard a thump from one of the adults.

"Bet it was Sirius."

"Agreed, besides, I'm not making another bet against you Harry. I learned my lesson the first time."

"Awe, ruin my fun. Fine spoil sport." Harry rolled off of the bed, pulling the blankets with him. He laughed when Draco, who had been sitting on the cover, was tossed to the floor. "Serves you right." He traipsed to the bathroom, but was drawn up short when his blanket caught on something. Draco was standing there, smirking, his foot pinning the loose end of the coverlet down.

"That's mean. I think I'm hurt."

"Sorry Dray." The blonde found a bundle of Gryffindor brunette in his arms in what was turning into Harry's typical apology to him.

"You're forgiven."

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was waltzing out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He finished dressing and walked out, joining everyone for breakfast. They were joined half and hour later by Draco, who was just as immaculate as ever.

"Took you long enough. You spend as much time in the bathroom as girls do. Well, the ones who are vain anyway." (A.N. I'm a girl but I spend a total of 2 minutes doing my hair no makeup. This statement was made on my sister and other preppy vain girls. Thank you.)

"Perfection takes time Harry. I can't help it if your hair is impossible to style and your clothes don't fit. Don't worry though, we're going shopping this weekend. I'm buying you a new wardrobe."

"Don't need one. The Room provides what I need. Besides, people might wonder if I suddenly started dressing better."

"No, they'll finally see how hot you are. They'll just think you spent some money on yourself for a change. No arguments because I'm not going to listen."

"Fine, but don't expect much from me. I refuse to become a life-size Ken doll for you."

"I have no idea what you just said, except that you agreed."

"Yeah…whatever. Hey, where'd Severus and Remus go?"

"They had to prepare for classes, speaking of which, shouldn't you get going?" Lucius asked, not looking up from the _Daily Prophet._

"Fine, I guess you just want to get rid of me. And here I was going to let you read the translation of Salazar's journal to me. Guess not."

"Not going to work Harry, but I would like to read it."

"Me too," Sirius piped up, talking around his omelet.

"Mouth closed when you chew," Harry said, grabbing an apple from the table. "See you at lunch. If you know who stops by, the room will warn you and you both will be hidden. The translation is around in one of my notebooks. Just look for it. See you in Potions Draco," Harry chirped back, good mood catching.

"He's too hyper now."

"You better go before you're late. The Slytherins are going to get suspicious."

"Yes father. See you later. I'll probably eat in the Great Hall for lunch. I can't disappear all the time." Draco smiled before following the young Gryffindor out. They both had Charms with Flitwik first, but apparently Harry had forgotten this fact. Potions wasn't until after lunch today, though it was a single lesson instead of a double.

Draco strolled down the hallway, turning the corner towards the Charms class. He came face to face with the sight of Ron, Seamus, and Dean beating Harry into the floor. He pushed aside his worry, keeping a cold mask in place.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He sneered when Weasley looked up.

"Look Potter, Malfoy's come to join in beating you where you belong, on the ground before your betters."

"Or to return you to yours Weasley," he said in a cold condescending voice. "Even Potter is above you blood traitor. Not only is he pureblood, he's rich and knows where he stands in the world: infinitely above you. Fifty points from Gryffindor for fighting. Each. Dumbledore will hear of this. I may not like Potter, but I hate you. Get to class, now, before I add detention to your punishment." He turned from the three guilty Gryffindors to Harry, sighing as he saw the beat up teen. "Zambini, inform Professor Flitwik where we've gone," Draco said, summoning a stretcher beneath the unconscious boy, levitating him up. "I'd better get him to the infirmary. Gryffindor of not, he's hurt. Being Head Boy has its disadvantages, especially taking care of goody goody Gryffindors." He glared at the surrounding students before coolly moving away, stretcher following behind him.

Keeping his cold mask in place, Draco walked to the Hospital Wing. He resisted the urge to check on the unconscious Gryffindor to make sure he was okay. From what he saw, Harry had new bruises beyond the ones he had seen Friday night. There had been some from his own actions, but there had been others he hadn't caused. Apparently, this occurrence was a regular thing. He pushed open the door and calmly set Harry on the bed before going to Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Madam Pomfrey, Potter is here. I found Weasley, Thomas, and Finnegan beating him up outside of Charms."

"Again? I've told Albus over and over again about those three, but he never does a thing about it. Come on, let's tend to the patient. Bring my bag. It's there beside you." Poppy Pomfrey walked briskly to the patient's side, looking over his latest bruises. "He was just here Friday afternoon, before his detention with Professor Snape, and now he's already back. They usually give him a week to heal before attacking again. Harry never complains. If I didn't force him, he wouldn't come to me for help. He's lucky you were there to find him Mr. Malfoy. When they aren't stopped…well, I'm glad you didn't just leave him to their beating."

"Being Head Boy comes with that responsibility at least. Besides that, I may not like Potter, but I hate Weasley."

"Right, you don't have to lie here. Albus can't hear what we're saying." She gave him a wry smile.

"Alright, I'm worried about him. He's too thin, he's small, and they are each twice his size. I don't think they would have stopped this time. Weasel…he didn't look stable, like he's been pushed to the edge and a small wind could knock him off the side."

"This is Albus' doing. Mr. Weasley is always going in to see him, as is Miss Granger."

"He needs to be stopped, but how?"

"Right now, we need to help Harry. Hand me my bag. His ribs have been damaged again. They haven't given him a change to recover from summer. Every week it's the same, and his ribs end up cracked again. If they don't leave him alone, permanent damage will be done and there won't be anything I can do to help him."

"Don't worry. I have a feeling the three of them will conveniently fall down the stairs into a certain potion that's affects last one month at the least. They'll have to be transferred to St. Mungos. I don't see any potions that can help them here. Damn, what a shame."

"Indeed. Watch your language. Well Mr. Malfoy, Harry will be released after classes are over. Would you be so kind as to escort my patient to his room?"

"It would be my pleasure."

"Tell Professor Snape I need more of the Potion. He'll know the one, just not who it's for."

"Yes ma'am. I'll see you later." Draco smiled slight before resuming his cold mask as he left the wing. He continued on to Charms, walking coolly into the room. "I've been to the Nurse. Potter won't be joining the class. Due to the acts of certain students, he will be in the Hospital Wing for the remainder of classes today." Without waiting for a reply, Draco took his seat next to Blaise and Pansy.

"He okay?" Blaise asked under his breath.

"Fine. A few bruises here and there. Pomfrey just wants to make sure nothing serious happened. She wants me to take him to his room after classes to make sure they don't jump him again. Want to come? You seem interested in him." Draco was trying hard to reign in his jealousy. Harry wanted to be friends with Blaise, so Draco would bring the Italian Slytherin with him, albeit, unwillingly.

"Sure, it's not as though I have anything better to do."

"We're to go get him after classes."

Blaise gave a short nod before they returned their attention to the lesson.

The morning passed slowly. When lunch came, he left the Italian and went to Harry's room despite what he had said that morning. He figured the morning's events warranted the visit.

"Dad, Black, I've got bad news," he said the moment he opened the door. Both adults looked up, surprised from the notebook they were looking at.

"I thought you were going to eat with your friends today Draco."

"Change of plans. Harry's in the Hospital Wing again. Weasel, Thomas, and Finnegan beat him up. Don't worry, they'll be suitably punished. So, are you reading the translation?"

"Not exactly, something more captivating if I do say so myself. Seems our Gryffindor is a talented artist," Sirius said, smiling a bit.

"I doubt he'd want you peaking at his private things. He gave permission to read the translation, nothing else."

"There's a couple of you in here Draco. Want to see them."

"That's low Dad." Lucius knew his son's main weakness: curiosity.

"He was in Slytherin for a reason. Here," Sirius said, moving the notebook over to the younger blonde before turning it to face him. "I think this is one of his best."

Displayed on the page was a charcoal pencil sketch of himself, fast asleep with a peaceful, content, almost happy look on his face. He actually expected the drawing to start breathing and to wake up and smile sleepily at him. The work of art was by far one of the most lifelike he had ever seen, not to mention the fact that the notebook contained some of the best sketches he had ever seen. A picture of the Great Lake caught and held his gaze. There were several students out enjoying the obviously nice weather. He figured this had been drawn near the beginning of September when the weather had been unseasonably warm. Draco turned the page, finding that one stuck to the back of the Great Lake picture. He carefully pulled the two apart. Silver eyes widened at the sight, before he smiled.

"I think you missed one." He handed the notebook back to his cousin, grinning at the shocked look on his face at the picture.

"Harry drew Snape?! But why?"

"It looks like he prefers to catch people at their most open and vulnerable. Or perhaps when his subject doesn't know they're being watched. I doubt Severus would allow Harry to sketch him or to keep the picture. He's my friend, true, but he's a private person. This drawing shows a softer side to him, one he rarely shows. I doubt he even realizes he can make this expression." Lucius gazed intently on the picture as if trying to memorize the expression so he'd never forget it.

"These are really good. I wonder why he hasn't shown them to me yet." Sirius figured his godson had been working on his talent for years, but he had never seen these pictures. He flipped through to the picture of himself and Remus. They had been reminiscing over their photo album. He couldn't help but wonder how Harry had hidden this talent.

"You have been dead for a year or so. That could be why." A plate had appeared before the younger blonde who began picking at it a bit.

"This was before I died, obviously. This was the summer before his fifth year. He just didn't tell anyone about it."

"Okay, think logically. Harry hasn't had an ideal childhood. His…relatives…hate him, he's been betrayed by people he trusted. Not exactly a confidence booster now is it. Add to that the fact that he lost you. He was probably shook up. You only just got back, and by the way, how? Talk about that later. Give him a break. Why don't you just ask him about it later?" Draco finished his lunch and stood, grabbing a second notebook from a nearby table. "Read the translation, leave his sketches alone." He grabbed said sketchbook before taking it to Harry's room. "Blaise will be coming with me once we get Harry. Little Gryffindor says we can trust him. Hide from him until we're sure. Be good and don't kill each other. See you." He grabbed his bag and walked out, heading to Potions. He stopped by Lupin's class to tell him about the morning's incident.

"Yes Mister Malfoy? What can I do for you?" Remus asked in a cool voice. Appearances had to be kept up outside of Harry's room, even if there was no one in the room besides the two of them.

"I just wanted to let you know that Harry was attacked outside of Charms this morning. He's in the Hospital Wing asleep. Madam Pomfrey says he'll be fine. I'm to go get him after classes."

"Was it bad?" Remus asked, paling slightly.

"His ribs were damaged again." He cursed his slip-up the moment the words left his mouth.

"Again?"

"Um, later. I've got Potions right now." Draco escaped the room as fast as he could. He knew he had let something slip that he shouldn't have. Harry wasn't going to want to explain, even though he needed to. He made it to the classroom early, just so he could retell his story for the fourth time.

"Hey Sev."

"Draco. Why weren't you at lunch?"

"Something came up. Harry exercised his amazing ability to get into trouble."

"Again? That boy will be the death of me."

"Weasel and his cronies attacked him. Pomfrey said he'll be fine, but he's excused from lessons because of his ribs. They haven't healed from summer. Oh, and she also said she needs more of the potion. She said you'd know the one she means." Draco gave his godfather a pointed, meaning-filled look. "I let some things slip to Lupin. He's going to want to know about it."

"Harry isn't going to be pleased. He'll want to keep everything that's happened to him a secret, especially his summers."

"He needs to tell them though. They need to know and he should be the one to tell them. He can't start to move past it without talking about it, venting his emotions. It'll help him, even if it seems like a bad idea at the time."

"While I agree, getting Harry to talk about what he's been through won't be easy."

"We just have to be there for him." Draco smiled a bit before turning to his seat to think about everything. Ten minutes later, students began entering slowly. Blaise say down next to him, beating Pansy Parkinson, clinging whore that she was, to the blonde's side.

"Draco."

"Blaise."

"You weren't at lunch."

"I sent a letter to mother. I think something's wrong. Father hasn't written in a few days."

"You think something happened to him?"

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right though."

Each person began working on his or her potion. Halfway through the class, an owl flew in, delivering a note to Professor Snape.

"Draco, the Headmaster wishes to see you. He says it's urgent." He put a stasis charm on his godson's potion before continuing to make his rounds, deducting points from Gryffindors along the way.

Draco didn't bother taking his things with him. He had a feeling about what Dumbledore wanted to talk to him about. He made his way up the stairs quickly, wanting to get the meeting over with as soon as possible. He muttered the password, Mounds -seriously, who likes coconut?- and made his way up the winding staircase. He knocked on the door, determined to get the meeting over with.

"Come in Mr. Malfoy."

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I have terrible news." Despite his words, the twinkle didn't leave his annoying blue eyes. "It's about your father. I'm afraid Lord Voldemort has lost patience with him. He murdered him yesterday. I just received word from your mother that you are to join her at this hotel." Dumbledore handed him a slip of paper. "It seems she does not have access to Malfoy Manner."

"I'm not going. She follows the Dark Lord."

"I see. Would you like the rest of the day off to mourn your father?"

"No thank you. I've long since severed ties with him. He blindly followed You-Know-Who and willingly listened to him. As far as I know, he was completely loyal and devoted to him, not his family and most certainly not his son. May I leave now? I have a potion to finish."

"Of course. I'm sorry for your loss. Good day." Dumbledore watched as the young blonde silently turned and left his office, all the while planning on how to manipulate this newest defector from Voldemort's side.

_Bastard. He didn't even admit to father being a spy. Lying, conniving, self-serving, manipulative…_Draco continued on with his inner rant as he walked back to class.

"Draco?" Severus asked when he entered the dungeon once more. "What did the Headmaster want?"

"He wanted to inform me that my father was murdered. The Dark Lord was apparently tired of his failures. It doesn't matter to me. He followed a nut job. I've had no intention of joining the insane idiot." He had no fear of speaking his view in front of the other Slytherins. They had all decided not to join Voldemort, but didn't want to show their true feelings just yet. He received fake glares from his housemates. The Gryffindors were worse. Many of them were openly smiling at his father's "death."

A loud "Serves him right," came from one of the annoying two-faced Gryffindors. Surprisingly enough, it had come from Granger. She had always been the one against that type of action, but there she was, showing her true nature.

"Miss Granger," Severus started out, speaking her name as though it was a curse. "You must enjoy detention with Filch. One week detention with him, starting today, immediately after your final class and ending at curfew. I also want a minimum of two feet on the effects losing one's parents can have on a person as well as an additional foot on why such a loss is so devastating. Both are to be handed in to me at breakfast tomorrow."

"But Professor…!"

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for the comment and fifteen more for questioning me. Care to speak again Miss Granger?" Severus finished in a sickly sweet hiss, warning clear in his voice.

"No sir."

"Good. Now everyone, back to work." He removed the spell from his godson's potion and waved him back to work.

The rest of class passed by without another incident, though Granger kept glaring at Draco and Severus, both of whom ignored the annoying, thinks-she-knows-everything-but-really-knows-nothing, Gryffindor. Draco was wishing for classes to get over with so he could see Harry again. He didn't like leaving the petite brunette alone for long. Who knew what sort of trouble he could get into? His mind irrationally forgot the fact that he was asleep in the Hospital Wing. He was contemplating skipping out on Arithmacy when a potion exploded near by. He glanced over and smirked. Granger was covered in a disgusting brown sludge that looked and smelled like it belonged in a sewer, not a potions class, let alone an Advanced N.E.W.T level class. He smirked as Snape approached the potion covered Gryffindor.

"Just what is that supposed to be Miss Granger?" Severus sneered evilly. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your failure to produce a simple hair coloring potion. I'm certain you will love to know the effects of your screw-up. If you did what I believe you did, you hair should be pink within the minute. Your skin will also take on a magenta tinge. Unfortunately for you, there is no reversal nor counteractive spell or potion. You'll have to wait until it wears off in about a month. Don't forget your detentions with Filch begin tonight. Dismissed." He waved his want and bottled the completed potions, vanishing the remainder. "I need a new job," he muttered, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Perhaps after this year…" Severus sighed before putting instructions up for his class of 2nd year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. He prepared himself for another round of messed up potions and sighed again, hoping that no one else would blow up a cauldron that day.

Draco fidgeted. He tapped his foot. He sighed and shifted around. He ended up losing five points from Slytherin and missed three easy questions as well as the homework assignment. He'd get it later. He forced himself to slowly walk to the Hospital Wing. Blaise showed up a minute later and together, they walked in.

Inside, Harry was pouting as he reclined in the hospital bed by now reserved solely for him. He was being poked and prodded at by Madam Pomfrey as she examined him.

"I'm fine Poppy. For the last time, I'll live."

"Being difficult Potter?" Blaise was the one to speak up first.

"Oh, it's you Mr. Malfoy. Good. The patient was getting restless. As per usual," Pomfrey added, glaring at her patient.

"I can't help it. I hate being cooped up like this. Well Doc, can I go now?"

"Yes fine. Make sure you don't stress your ribs. I'm tempted to put you in a bubble if it'll keep you safe."

"Nope. Thanks again Poppy. See you later." Harry climbed out of bed, wincing a little bit as he slowly walked to the Slytherins. "Hi Dray, I heard you were my knight."

"I told you it could happen."

"Hi Blaise. Decide to crawl out of the dungeons just to see me?"

"Actually Draco asked me to come." Blaise missed the surprised look the Gryffindor sent to the blonde. "I'm curious about that picture you drew of me."

"Too bad, so sad. But maybe if you're good, I might just show you."

"Come on Sleeping Beauty. Let's go."

"Whatever you say Sir Knight."

"I think I'm being mocked. That's the last time I come to the rescue of a damsel in distress."

"I doubt that. For some reason you can't resist playing the Gryffindor for me. Now that that's cleared up, aren't you supposed to be escorting me to my room?" Before either Slytherin could reply, Harry had linked his arms in theirs and started pulling. "Bye Poppy!"

"We've been hijacked."

"No use protesting. What Harry wants, he gets, and apparently he wants us to literally escort him to his room."

"Damn right Dray, now do the gentlemanly thing and open the door."

"Whatever you say Princess."

As soon as the door opened, Harry stepped away from the Slytherins, cold mask back in place. The easy attitude disappeared back under the 'I hate you' look. Both Draco and Blaise followed suit, sneers and cold looks plain for all to see.

"Move it Potter. We have more important things to do than to baby-sit you," Blaise said coldly.

"So leave, I didn't ask for you to walk me to my room _snake_."

"Shut up and move," Draco hissed, lightly pushing the Gryffindor but making it look like he was shoving him cruelly.

Harry glared hatefully at the two Slytherins before starting off in the direction of his room. "Don't follow me…I don't need or want your _help._" He said the last word with such scorn and hate, that both Slytherins were almost believing what he said. Neither said anything but continued to follow him in silence. The rest of the walk was tense and very quiet.

When they finally made it to the room, everyone in the group was silently relieved. Harry opened the door and was quickly followed by the others.

"Well that sucked. Welcome to my room Blaise." If Harry was surprised there was no one in the room, he didn't show it. Draco couldn't help thinking that he showed nothing of what he was thinking despite the Gryffindor having said he trusted Blaise. "Wanna drink?"

For the first time, Draco noticed the rarely there kitchen.

"Sure. Draco, is your dad really dead?"

The blonde didn't say anything for awhile. He kept his gaze towards the kitchen, then Harry as he returned with drinks.

"You gonna tell him Dray?"

"You trust him?"

"To a point. I think we can believe what he says."

After a sigh, the blonde Slytherin answered, eyes still turned away from his dorm mate. "My father is alive Blaise."

"How?"

"A certain Gryffindor got involved. He ended up saving Dad and Severus both."

"Still getting into trouble Potter? One would think you'd learn."

"Who me? Nope, I never could resist. Besides, Luc is a good guy, aren't you Luc?" Harry grinned as the now familiar door appeared and opened.

"So much for my surprise entrance."

"You would have made it over the top anyway. Slytherins seem to have a flare for that," Sirius said as he walked through the door behind the blonde.

"Siri, I haven't told him about you yet." It seemed Harry was too late. Blaise gasped before he fainted.

"I seem to have that affect on everyone."

"Siri, you're such a pain, saying that Lucius has an exaggerated entrance. You made him faint."

"I made you faint too. Besides, he probably just has a weak constitution, fainting at the sight of a supposedly dead mass murderer. Jeez, what is this world coming to?" Sirius asked as they left the teenagers alone.

"Haha. Dray, put him on the couch. No, you don't have to sit next to him, just put him up there. It's rude to leave him on the floor."

Grumbling, Draco levitated the other Slytherin up, setting him not so gently on the comfy couch before sitting in a chair not too close to the Italian.

"Don't pout Dray, you're still my fav Slytherin," Harry chirped before sitting across the teen's lap horizontally. "He's not as special as you are."

Draco preened under the words, even as he tried to look nonchalant about it. "I know, I'm just not sure we should have trusted him."

"I am. You're just being jealous."

"Maybe. Now what's this about a picture of him that you drew?"

"Nothing for you." Harry turned to see the blonde pouting. "Dray, stop that."

"But I'm your knight. Don't I deserve a reward?"

"Yeah, I guess you do. Alright, close your eyes." Harry shifted around until he was straddling Draco's lap. "No peeking Dray," Harry teased as he leaned in close. Harry licked his lips. Finally he'd get that kiss he'd been dying to have. Finally…finally…An inch away he paused, letting his breath feather over the blonde's lips, making sure the Slytherin knew what was coming. He moved so only a centimeter separated them…

"Kissing a guy with his eyes closed is playing sneaky."

"Killing someone who interferes with said kiss is fair play and is highly encouraged. You might want to run."

"Nah, go ahead and smooch him. Like I care."

"You want in his pants Blaise. There's no way to deny it," Draco said dryly, eyes opening.

"I won't. Who wouldn't want in his pants?"

"I am still here you know? And here I was going to ask if you were okay. Never mind then. Now that you've met Siri, you know the ones who are supposed to be dead but somehow aren't. Severus and Remy also join us on occasion."

"We're an odd group. Somehow, Harry's pulled us all together," Lucius said as he and Sirius reentered.

"That's Harry for you."

"So glad to be loved. Now, does anyone have anything they want to tell me?" Harry's voice was sweet, leaving no one room to deny him.

"I'm gay," Blaise said simply.

"Me and Remy are together." Sirius smirked.

"I love Severus." A light flush appeared.

"I like someone," Draco said, finishing up with room's confessions.

"Well…yeah. I didn't mean that but…I knew, I could tell, he likes you back and who? Besides that, I meant a certain notebook of mine that isn't where I left it. Would any of you know where it is?"

No one said anything for a moment. Only Draco knew where it was, but he was hesitant to say anything. He didn't want Harry to get mad at him for looking at it since it was apparently off limits.

"Well, you see…" Lucius said, but he seemed at a loss for words.

"Er, we looked for the journal." Sirius looked sheepish.

"They looked at it. I caught them and put the notebook in your room."

"After looking at it," Sirius added.

"Dray…?"

"I'm sorry Harry. I'm curious and Dad used it against me. I really loved them though. They were beautiful."

"So that gives you a reason to look at something private?"

"No, I wasn't trying to justify it, just explain it. I came in and saw them looking at it."

"He told us to put it away, but then I showed him his picture. Quite frankly, he couldn't take his eyes off of it."

"So you all decided to look at them? To go through my stuff and look through something private? Why not read my journal while you're at it? It's just as personal." Harry glared, tears in his eyes. He turned and walked to his room. "I want to be left alone." Two notebooks came from the room as Harry walked in. They all recognized the first, but not the second. "Go ahead and look at them. It's not like you care about privacy." The door shut behind him, showing all that he wanted to be left alone.

"Well that sucked. I told you he'd be mad and now he is, even at me." Draco picked up the two seemingly harmless notebooks. He opened the first one, flipping to the page that Blaise had wanted to see. He silently handed him the book turning to the second one as he sat down. Harry's journal. Knowing what he did about Harry, he had a pretty good idea what was written on those pages.

Sitting down, Sirius put his head in his hands. "We screwed up. I knew we shouldn't have but…"

"We both knew better and we both didn't care. We wanted to see how good he was. We now know, but at a price," Lucius added solemnly.

"You better go Blaise, the others will wonder," Draco said softly, not looking up from the cover of the notebook he was holding. "We're going to have a long talk. No offense, but I don't trust you and I'm not sure Harry should have either."

"I figured as much. Keep this safe." Blaise handed the notebook back before grabbing his things. He opened the door, meeting Remus and Severus. "You missed the confessions. Too bad for you Professor Snape. I think you would have liked to hear what a certain blonde said. See ya in class Professor Lupin."

"What'd you do this time Siri? Knowing you…"

"Hey, I take offense at that. Besides, he helped," Sirius said, pointing at a guilty looking Lucius.

"Let's start with you telling us what happened," Remus said with a sigh as he sat down on the sofa next to his lover.

"Well, we found something of Harry's. Something personal and private."

"Let me guess, he found out." Severus glared at the elder blonde. "And now he's probably upset with all of you, isn't he?"

"Hey, you would love to see this." Sirius grabbed the notebook and flipped to the page he meant, before handing it to the Potions teacher. "He drew everything in there."

Severus Snape, most feared professor in all of Hogwarts, was stunned silent at the sight of the picture. That Harry had captured him with such an expression, was privy to such a sight, astounded him. That Harry had drawn it so accurately, so precisely, was an eye-opener for the stoic man. The young Gryffindor had seen this expression and had captured it, making sure to emphasize the soft look. Harry had seen through to the real him. "He drew these?" he finally asked quietly.

"Yeah, he did. Remy, there's one of us in there too. From before the Veil. He's been drawing for years from what I can tell. That notebook has pictures from before he started school here."

"And what made you go through his things?" Remus asked, glaring at the guilty pair.

"He told us we could read the journal left to him by Slytherin. We looked for it, but found this instead. You can imagine our surprise. We slowly went through them, until my son…showed up to interrupt us."

There was no comment from Draco. The young blonde was sitting in the same spot he had been since Harry had run off. He was still staring at Harry's journal, silent tears streaming down his face. After a few minutes, he heaved a shuddering sigh, finally looking up from the notebook. "Sev, I think it's time they knew."

The Potions Master knew exactly what his godson meant. It was past time for Harry's history to come out.

**Author's Note: Yeah, well chapter three is now done. I am EXTREMELY thankful for my reviewers. I love you all. If fanfiction wouldn't have put up that stupid rule, I would have replied to everyone, but since I can't do it at ff, I won't at mediaminer because that seems a bit unfair. Anyway, this chapter was 77 written pages and 41 typed. I hope you enjoy. Keep the reviews coming. I really appreciate the feedback. Ja. EvilAngelBB**


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